SP Balasubrahmanyam’s son sends legal notice to Keedaa Cola team for using legendary singer’s voice through AI, deepfake

Quoting ace composer AR Rahman on use of such technology to bring back the talents of beloved musicians who are no longer in this earthly realm, the statement said, “I think there is a legit way to do that; any technology should benefit humanity and not take away livelihoods. In this case I felt good that it’s a great opportunity to go to the families and they also see the legacy of the singers continue,” Charan said, adding that Rahman used such technology in one of his songs and also gave due credit.

It may be noted that in the recently released Rajinikanth-starrer Lal Salaam, late Bamba Bakya and Shahul Hameed have been credited as playback singers for the track Thimiri Yezhuda. Rahman had noted that his team sought permission from the families and compensation was provided.

Charan in his statement alleged that Keedaa Cola music director Vivek Sagar, in one of his interviews to an online YouTube and Spotify page ‘Permit Room’ on November 28, 2023, had admitted that the team had used AI and deepfake to extract Balasubrahmanyam’s voice.

He added, “If this trend of using AI technology for commercial exploitation in the entertainment industry continues without valid consent or permission, then even the present and future singers who are valuable resources to the music industry and whose livelihood depends on their only asset, their voice, will be at peril.”

The legendary singer’s son said he sent a legal notice on January 18 seeking an apology, damages and share in royalty besides calling them for a one on one meeting so as to arrive at an amicable solution, however, Charan said he was totally appalled at the tenor of their response.

“The response not only dismissed the already admitted fact of using late S.P. Balasubrahmanyam’s voice through AI technology but also deceitfully suggested a media trial as opposed to a legal approach. We abstain from choosing any devious methods to handle this matter and have nil desire to precipitate this issue through media trial and solely propose to take this issue legally,” Charan said.

He added that his father’s voice is not only his asset but also has a tremendous recall value which is the reason he believes why the movie makers wanted to use it even if artificially.