India's election proved once again that, if allowed free expression, public will always strengthens democracy.

Just last week, two AI-generated deepfake videos of Bollywood stars criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is seeking a rare third term, and asking people to vote for the opposition Congress went viral, drawing half a million views.

In the wake of a recent deepfake controversy involving Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh, the Cyber Crime Cell of the Maharashtra Police, India, has registered an FIR against an individual identified as X user, @sujataindia. This action comes days after a manipulated video of the actor endorsing a political party surfaced online, sparking widespread outrage and prompting legal action.

The two videos have been viewed on social media more than half a million times since last week, a Reuters review shows.

India's election starting on Friday is the world's largest electoral exercise with more than 18 million people voting for the first time.

The election cycle sprawls over 44 days, long even by India's standards, as the 2019 vote lasted 39 days.

Once admired for its commitment to pluralism, India no longer stands out as a model democracy.

Fresh general elections in India are due early next year and the opposition parties seem to have taken a good first step