Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Videos of actors Kajol and Rashmika Mandanna posing in bikinis.
Fact
Viral videos found to be deepfakes.
A couple of viral videos, purportedly showing actors Rashmika Mandanna and Kajol posing in bikinis, have gone viral on Instagram. The archived versions of the videos can be seen here and here.
Fact Check
Newschecker noticed that at several moments in the video, the actors’ movements seemed unnatural and jerky, suggesting that they were digitally manipulated.
Video 1
Newschecker ran the video past an AI detection tool, TrueMedia, which stated there was substantial evidence of manipulation, marking it “Highly Suspicious”.
We also ran the video past another AI detection tool, Hive Moderator, which stated there was 92.1% chance of the video containing AI-generated or deepfake content.
We then ran a reverse image search of keyframes, which led us to this Instagram video, uploaded by Mumbai/Chandigarh-based model, Nehaa Malik on May 6, 2024.
A comparison of screengrabs of the viral clip (right) with Malik’s post (left) confirms it to be the same video that has been digitally altered. We have reached out to Malik and will update this copy once we receive a response.
Video 2
Newschecker ran the video past an AI detection tool, TrueMedia, which stated there was substantial evidence of manipulation, marking it “Highly Suspicious”.
We also ran the video past another AI detection tool, Hive Moderator, which stated there was 90.5% chance of the video containing AI-generated or deepfake content.
We then ran a reverse image search of keyframes, which led us to this Instagram video, uploaded by a fan page of Pratika Sood, an Emcee and VO artiste, on May 12, 2024.
A comparison of screengrabs of the viral clip (right) with the Instagram post (left) confirms it to be the same video that has been digitally altered. We have reached out to Sood and will update this copy once we receive a response.
The Instagram account that has posted these videos had earlier this month uploaded a deepfake video of Rashmika Mandanna, which has been debunked by Newschecker. Actor Allia Bhatt, too, became a victim of a deepfake video this month, where her face was digitally placed onto the body of actor Wamiqa Gabbi, which then went viral.
Conclusion
Deepfake videos of actors Rashmika Mandanna and Kajol have gone viral.
Result: Altered Media
Source
TrueMedia detection tool
Hive Moderator detection tool
Instagram post, Nehaa Malik, May 6, 2024
Instagram post, pratika sood_fan, May 12, 2024
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
