A provocative video said to feature popular Indian YouTuber Payal Gaming has reportedly gone viral on various social media sites. Shortly thereafter, a massive response from her seemingly limitless fan base surfaced, disputing the claim and claiming it was nothing more than a “deepfake” created by artificial intelligence.
This is the latest in an alarming series of incidents in which videos of individual content creators have been falsely linked or manipulated and posted on the internet.
Fans deny link to MMS, denounce deepfakes
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A video involving two people in an intimate setting has gone viral, with a number of people on X (formerly Twitter) falsely claiming that the woman seen in the image below is named Payal Dhare (commonly referred to as “Payal Gaming” on YouTube).
However, supporters of the creator have vigorously disputed the legitimacy of this video, and an online campaign is underway for the following reasons:
“That girl wasn’t Payal Gaming.
That girl wasn't Payal Gaming https://t.co/wvZEabE9aj
Don't spread fake news — Charle (@Desi14129158147) December 16, 2025
A fan posted a statement saying, “Please do not share this fake news.” “That kid is not Payal Gaming.”
Deepfake claims: Some netizens publicly accused the criminals of creating and spreading “screenshots of deepfake AI-generated mms clips” under the name of popular YouTubers.
ethical issues: One of the users was disappointed with this behavior and said, “It's not right to make Ai videos for viewing and comments. Please don't spread fake Ai videos from Payal.”
I'm not a fan of Payal games
But making AI videos is different.
Don't spread Payal's fake Ai video for views and impressions
pic.twitter.com/TjxWgXX8UZ(@BEPOSITIVE37583) December 16, 2025
At this time, there has been no statement from Payal Gaming regarding the ongoing controversy.
Who is Payal Gaming, the content creator?
Payal Dhare, also known as Payal Gaming, is one of the popular and successful female gamers and YouTubers from India.
Existence of platform: She has a huge fan following, with over 4.5 million subscribers on YouTube and 4.2 million subscribers on Instagram.
Affiliation: She is a prominent figure in the Indian gaming community, is part of an esports organization, and is internationally recognized in the field of mobile gaming.
media presence: Payal often works with celebrities as she has posted several pictures with them such as Farah Khan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu. She is said to be currently in Dubai.
Patterns of misinformation
This largely follows a similar controversy that occurred a few days ago, which featured a private video going viral under the hashtag “19 Minute Viral Video.” That particular video clip was incorrectly linked to content creator Sweet Zannat.
In a subsequent statement, Sweet Zanat clarified that the person in the video was not even her. Digital security experts continue to warn that such “leaked” videos, which have spread like wildfire, are either clickbait that lures users into malware and phishing scams, or are now created using AI deepfakes as a way to smear public figures.
(Disclaimer: This report covers allegations and social media trends regarding the alleged video. Zee News has not confirmed the existence or authenticity of the video. Claims suggesting Payal Gaming appears in the clip are strongly refuted by her fans, who claim it is an AI-generated deepfake and a malicious hoax.)
Please also read | Is the “40-minute viral video'' after the “19-minute'' clip real? Why searching for links is a direct path to phishing and jail time
