With the state gearing up for assembly polls, AI-generated videos are giving Tamil Nadu’s past leaders a powerful new voice – and today’s leaders a borrowed charisma.
Published Jun 27, 2025 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jun 30, 2025 | 12:18 PM
A new breed of political consultants – AI firms – now function as narrative engineers and emotional strategists. Pictured is a screenshot of an AI-generated video of Udhayanidhi Stalin and M Karunanidhi.
Synopsis: India has no specific laws on the matter yet, and AI-generated content can violate privacy and mislead voters. Deepfake endorsements may also attract criminal liability under the IT Act and IPC if they are misleading or defamatory.
Something strange is happening in Tamil Nadu. Last year, at the 75th anniversary of the DMK, M Karunanidhi assured voters that his son, Chief Minister MK Stalin, was his true successor. Across the political aisle, Jayalalithaa voiced her concerns about the current administration in a programme led by AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami.
There was just one detail: Both Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa had been dead for years. Spectres seem to be haunting Tamil Nadu; the spectres of former leaders.
These digital resurrections are more synthetic than spiritual. There are no Ouija boards involved, just skilled designers and programmers, working with great prompts and greater political intent. Created by Artificial Intelligence (AI) firms ahead of Tamil Nadu’s 2026 elections, they reflect a growing trend: Political memory is now programmable.
A new breed of political consultants – AI firms – now function as narrative engineers and emotional strategists.
Shantanu*, 28, operates out of a coworking space in Bengaluru. His desk is a mini-library of newspapers, campaign posters, and notebooks filled with ideas.
“It’s not just making up a video of some famous guy, you know. There’s a lot of research that goes into this. We look at a leader’s history, their speeches, and their famous catchphrases. We juxtapose all that with the message the client wants to convey,” he said.
His team had been commissioned to work with parties on both sides of the spectrum last year during the Lok Sabha elections. This time, he expects even more orders.
He felt that these videos were becoming increasingly important in political campaigns. “Of course, people know these videos are AI-generated. No one here is trying to bluff the public into, say, believing a certain leader has come back to life. Think of it this way – earlier, you would have to talk about an old party leader, saying ‘he would have wanted so-and-so.’ Today, you can make up a video of that leader saying exactly that,” he told South First.
Shantanu is one of many such ‘AI strategists’ getting to work, now that Tamil Nadu is just a year away from assembly polls. While such videos and audio clips have been used in elections all over the country, the consensus among these companies is that Tamil Nadu, with its film-political crossover culture, is the perfect growth market.
“This is a state where decades ago, movie stars stepped out of the silver screen to rule the people. We already have a fairytale. You just have to revamp it to fit today’s world. We are weaponising nostalgia,” one AI firm founder said.
One such firm operating on the line between identity politics and nostalgia is Muonium AI – the firm that famously created a video of the late Karunanidhi posthumously praising his son, Stalin, on the DMK’s 75th anniversary.
Its founder, Senthil Nayagam, said creating their content is one way parties can retain control over their narrative.
“One of our projects, for example, is creating AI-generated films about the Vanniyar community’s history for the PMK party,” he told South First. “We tell stories from the Vanniyar Puranam about rishis, about a king emerging from fire – and that can make the community feel like they are a part of something with a rich legacy.”
History videos, Karunanidhi’s video, Jayalalithaa’s voice – Senthil believes these tools work in ways that political parties are still just beginning to understand. “Many people have grown up under the influence of these extremely charismatic leaders. When you hear, say, the late MGR’s voice, the nostalgia that hits you makes you forget your problems for a while and remember the good times,” he said.
The ruling DMK has come under fire for underfunded welfare schemes, law and order issues, corruption allegations, and natural disaster mismanagement. The opposition AIADMK is in the middle of a long-standing leadership power struggle. Plus, the party’s alliance with the BJP – a party viewed with suspicion in a state fiercely proud of its language and identity – leaves it open to accusations of being “anti-state.”
The DMK’s slogan “Maanila Suyatchi, Mathiyil Koottactchi” (autonomy of the state, federalism at the Centre) is not just rhetoric — it’s a pitch that lands.
And yet, today’s leaders still seem to be struggling to step out of their predecessors’ shadows. While Stalin had a popular mandate, many see him as more of a crowned leader than a natural one. With his son Udhayanidhi Stalin installed as the Deputy Chief Minister last year, most of his tenure has been spent trying to balance governance with legacy, amidst growing accusations of dynastic entitlement. He might bring welfare schemes, but Karunanidhi’s image brings charisma.
On the other side, history seems to be repeating itself. The current tussle echoes one of Tamil Nadu’s oldest breakup stories. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) rose to power after Jayalalithaa’s passing in 2016 by allying with her aide V Sasikala. It’s eerily similar to Karunanidhi allying with MGR in the 1970s, right before the latter broke away and formed the AIADMK, redefining the state’s political landscape.
Today, EPS holds the reins of the AIADMK machinery. But Sasikala, widely seen as Jayalalitha’s true confidante and heir, still commands a slice of emotional loyalty. EPS may control the party, but he needs Amma’s voice to unify it.
Today’s leaders, a section of political observers said, are outshone by their predecessors. Few of them command the adulation of a Karunanidhi or an MGR. They might run governments, but they can’t spark movements. And so they look back, invoking their fathers (in a way), hoping some of that old magic keeps their voters firmly on their side. And with tools like AI? The sky is the limit.
Legacy has always been part of politics everywhere. It lends legitimacy to new leaders, charts out a path for future generations, and creates a common rallying point, usually right after a leader’s death. But there’s charisma, and there’s consent. Especially when the leaders in question aren’t alive to speak for themselves.
Legal expert Mirza Faizan Asad pointed out that while India has no specific laws on the matter yet, such content can violate privacy and mislead voters.
“If the content is deceptive, like showing them saying things they never actually said, it may fall under misrepresentation, manipulation of public opinion, or even election malpractice,” he told South First.
Deepfake endorsements may also attract criminal liability under the IT Act and IPC if they are misleading or defamatory, he added. “It’s a very grey area right now… the Election Commission should step in and create rules,” he said.
In the absence of regulations, AI strategists work within their boundaries. Senthil, for example, said he would rather work on videos with positive messaging. “I would never want to harm a community or spread blatantly false data. I’d want communities to feel connected and empowered through these stories.”
Which brings us to a bigger question – how effective are these videos? Political scientist Dr. Sandeep Shastri felt younger voters are less likely to be affected. “We will have to wait and see, but this nostalgia wouldn’t work as strongly on someone under 30,” he told South First.
Such content, Dr. Shastri added, is more angled towards shoring up the existing vote banks. “AI helps strengthen existing standpoints, not shift a preference.” The unethical aspect, he said, comes into play when parties use AI as a tool for retroactive propaganda. “They’re not just enhancing old clippings; they are deciding a line and then manufacturing emotional legitimacy via a synthetic voice or image.”
With state elections a year away, this is more than a campaign gimmick. The use of AI to reframe memory and influence voter perception is an evolving tool of political persuasion, especially in a state where legacy is everything and emotion has always been a key political currency.
AI may not yet win elections, but it is already beginning to shape campaign stories. And in Tamil Nadu, as in the movies, the story is everything.
(*Name changed. Edited by Majnu Babu).
