By: Umme Kulsum
November 27 2023
Viral clip of actor Alia Bhatt posing for camera in a co-ord set is a deepfake
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A comparison of the morphed [L] and the original video [R] (Source: Facebook/Screenshots/Modified by Logically Facts)
Fact-Check
The Verdict Fake
The video was first posted in May 2023 by a page that seems to be Indonesia-based.
Claim ID 84c099dd
What is the claim?
A video purportedly showing Indian actor Alia Bhatt has gone viral on social media. The video shows a woman wearing a light-colored co-ord set sitting on a bed and posing for the camera. The video, which seems to have been first shared in September (archived here), has resurfaced recently and identifies the woman it features as Alia Bhatt. Archived versions of posts sharing the video can be viewed here and here.
Screenshots of posts sharing the deepfake video. (Source: Facebook/Screenshots/Modified by Logically Facts)
However, the viral video is a deepfake.
Here are the facts
A close look at the video showed some discrepancies that indicated the video was not original. The movement of Bhatt’s lips in the video does not appear natural. Also, at several points in the video, some distortions appear around the edges of the woman’s face, suggesting that the video has been digitally tampered.
Blurry lines around Alia Bhatt's in the viral clip suggest the video was digitally edited. (Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
A reverse-image search led us to several Instagram accounts that had shared the original video; however, the woman featured in it is not Alia Bhatt. The woman captured in the original video had shared the clip on her Facebook page in May. She had also shared another video in the same outfit on the page. The Facebook page is listed as a ‘Personal Blog’ and has shared several posts written in Indonesian. The phone number listed on the page also has an Indonesian caller code. Our analysis and research show that Alia Bhatt's face was superimposed on the video shared on this Facebook page by another woman.
Alia Bhatt is the latest celebrity to fall prey to deepfakes after fake videos of Indian actors such as Rashmika Mandanna and Kajol went viral over the past month. Earlier this month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi voiced concern over deepfakes after people mistook a video of his lookalike dancing at a garba event to be him.
Deepfakes are often used to create realistic-looking videos of individuals and celebrities saying or doing things they never did, leading to the spread of false information and the manipulation of public opinion. Logically Facts has debunked similar viral deepfake videos here, here, and here. Here’s a guide on identifying deepfakes and AI-generated visuals.
The verdict
The viral video clip featuring Indian actor Alia Bhatt posing for the camera in a co-ord set is a deepfake.