“There should be strict laws”: RajKummar Rao shares concern over deepfake videos

New Delhi [India], May 9 (ANI): Amid the ongoing debate on AI and several celebrities including Rashmika Mandanna, Aamir Khan, and Ranveer Singh becoming victims of deepfake videos, actor Rajkumar Rao has expressed his concern and said “there should be strict laws.”

In an interview with ANI, RajKummar Rao also talked about his upcoming ‘Srikanth’ which is slated for release on May 10.

Asked about deepfake videos getting viral and if he finds this as a threat, Rao said there should be strict laws against the misuse of Artificial Intelligence and people should have proper information about the use of AI.

He said a very small percentage of the country’s population is aware of AI.

“If someone misuses it or anything, there should be very strict laws,” he said, adding that steps should also be taken to prevent misuse.

Speaking about the movie, RajKummar said he was moved after learning about Srikanth’s life.

“When I got to know about Srikanth’s life, when I first heard his story from Tushar, I was also very moved. I was very inspired that a person achieved so much at such a young age despite being visually impaired. So I thought this story is very important to spread to the world because we all need inspiration in our lives. Sometimes, we feel low and want to get out from the situation. Srikanth is such a character which will entertain and inspire you at the same time.”

In ‘Srikanth’, RajKummar portrays the life of Srikanth Bolla. The story of the film revolves around the inspiring journey of industrialist Srikanth Bholla, who did not let his visual impairment come in his way of establishing Bollant Industries.

RajKummar described how he prepared for the role.

“It was necessary. That preparation was needed for this film because I have never played a visually impaired role before. So, it all started when I started going to blind school. I started working with a lot of people who were visually impaired in real life. I sat with them for hours and talked to them. I took videos and used to watch those videos many times. Just to understand their perception and what they feel about the world and how they deal in situations. I spent a lot of time with Srikanth as I am depicting his life on screen. So, I got a lot from him which I used in my performance.”

Apart from Rajkummar Rao, the movie also stars Jyotika and Sharad Kelkar in the lead roles.

Produced by T-Series and Chalk N Cheese Films Production LLP, the movie is directed by Tushar Hiranandani and written by Jagdeep Sidhu and Sumit Purohit.