It was me': PM's doppelganger clarifies viral garba video was not 'deepfake'

Referring to the viral garba video featuring him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he has not played it since he was young. He also cautioned against the dangers posed by deepfakes, while urging citizens and media of India to be vigilant.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently spoke about the dangers posed by deepfakes, and referred to a widely shared video of him playing garba with a group of women. Now, the man who actually featured in the video has issued a clarification, saying that it was not deepfake but a case of him.
Taking to Instagram, businessman Vikas Mahante, who is PM Modi's doppelgänger, clarified that it was not deepfake."Shedding the light on the recent issue of deepfake raised by our Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi ji, I would like to address you all that the person in the viral video is me, Mr Vikas Mahante," he said on the social networking site.
Mahante further said that in "no way" can he "claim to be or impersonate" the Prime Minister."As an artist and an actor, I am invited to many such events for being a prominent lookalike of our PM. I would like to clarify that in no way, I claim to be or impersonate Modi ji and do no such thing that would tarnish his image as the Prime Minister of India. It is my honour to share his ideologies amongst people who love and respect him and I hope to continue to do that in the future as well. I hope to continue to do that in the future as well," the businessman wrote on Instagram.Addressing journalists at BJP's Diwali Milan programme at the party's headquarters in Delhi on Friday (November 17), PM Modi said that deepfakes are one of the biggest threats that the Indian system is facing currently, adding that these can cause chaos in society. The Prime Minister also urged the media to educate people about the increasing problem. He also said that both media and citizens must be vigilant when it comes to the misuse of artificial intelligence for deepfakes. Referring to the viral video of him, PM Modi called it "very real" and added that he has not played garba since he was young.