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Maestro AR Rahman recreated the voices of two late music icons Bamba Bakya and Shahul Hameed with the power of AI, for a new song. Titled ‘ Thimiri Yezhuda’, the soundtrack will be featured in the upcoming sports drama ‘Lal Salaam’. The movie will star Rajinikanth in a special cameo.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, the Oscar-winning music composer clarified that he had sought permission from the families of the late singers and remunerated them handsomely.
“We took permission from their families and sent deserving remuneration for using their voice algorithms ..technology is not a threat and a nuisance if we use it right…#respect #nostalgia..” wrote the ‘Jai Ho’ hitmaker.
The post went viral on the microblogging site, gaining more than 640K views and 9.5K likes. It also polarised the Internet on the ethics of recreating the voice and likeness of the departed.
Some users criticised the maestro for this move and said that he could have given an opportunity to struggling singers desperate for a break.
“What if Bamba Bakya or Shahul Hameed just didn’t want this and rather wanted to just rest in peace? Also, already the trained professionals singers aren’t getting much chances in films as heroes, heroines, directors, and their families, are all singing playbacks. Now if we adapt to this specific tech, won’t an entire generation of singers go jobless? Feels wrong sir…” wrote a fan.
Another fan pointed out that such practices may be legal but are in a grey zone ethically and can set a dangerous precedent. “There is a reason why voice is not copyrightable - it’s the identity of the person, and only the individual can give consent to use it. What you have done is legal but unethical. It’s a dangerous precedent and opens a Pandora box of deepfaking. It’s not the right way to use tech,” reads the post.
“If you put together all reality shows in Tamil, around 100 singers are introduced every year. You could very well give opportunities to them instead of reviving late people’s voices through technology,” wrote another user.
However, some diehard fans came out of the woodwork to support the maestro. “Haters will hate. No matter what. Ignore them and give us updates on thug life,” wrote a fan.
Directed by Rajinikanth’s daughter Aishwarya, ‘Lal Salaam’ will hit the theatres in February. The movie also marks her return to direction after a gap of seven years.
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