Fact-Check: In the video, it actually looks like Payal Gaming is having an intimate moment with someone, but she and her fans claim that the video is a deepfake (AI-generated) video.
A video purporting to show popular Indian YouTuber and gamer Payal Dhare, known online as Payal Gaming, in an intimate setting began circulating widely on social media platforms this week, prompting her to issue a denial and threaten legal action.
The 21-year-old content creator, who has amassed over three million subscribers on YouTube through gameplay videos of titles like Battlegrounds Mobile India and Grand Theft Auto V, described the clip as manipulated content designed to harm her reputation.
Dhare broke her silence in a note posted to her Instagram account, where she has more than two million followers.
“I never expected to have to speak publicly about something so personal and distressing. Over the past few days, content has been circulated that falsely my name and image with a video currently being shared on digital platforms. I want to state this clearly and without ambiguity: the individual depicted in that video is not me and it has no connection to my life, my choices and my identity,” she wrote.
The leaked video, which some posts on X described as lasting 19 minutes or longer, quickly gained traction after users linked it to Dhare, leading to searches for her name spiking online.
Supporters of the influencer, a member of the S8UL Esports team and recipient of an international award at the MOBIES in 2024, rallied in her defense by labeling the footage as an artificial intelligence-generated deepfake.
One user on X posted:
“People need to understand how easy it is to create deepfake videos now. Dragging Payal Gaming’s name into this without proof is wrong (sic).”
Dhare, in her statement, called the incident a form of digital abuse that often targets women and confirmed plans to pursue legal remedies against those responsible for spreading the video.
The controversy echoes similar cases involving other Indian creators, such as Sweet Zannat, whose name was tied to a separate viral clip earlier this year.
No arrests or official investigations have been reported in connection with the Payal Gaming video as of Thursday.