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Deepfake rules gather steam: The challenge lies in implementation

The government has just published updated draft amendments to the IT Rules of 2021, with several measures to check deepfakes

Deepfake
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From Raanjhanaa’s AI-altered ending to draft deepfake rules, India grapples with the legal and ethical frontier of synthetic media and celebrity identity protection. | Illustration: Ajaya Mohanty

Bhavini MishraAashish Aryan New Delhi

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A few months ago, Raanjhanaa, a 2013 romance set against the backdrop of student politics, landed in cinemas again. But there was a big difference: In the original, the hero — Kundan, played by Dhanush — dies. In this version, Kundan miraculously opens his eyes as his love interest, Zoya, played by Sonam Kapoor, sits by his hospital bed. 
The new happy ending was cooked up entirely by artificial intelligence (AI). Though the re-released version of the film barely moved the box office, it stirred a controversy — the new climax wasn’t imagined by either director Anand L Rai or