Congress MP Shashi Tharoor flagged AI-generated deepfake videos of him circulating on social media and urged the viewers to verify them using “one simple rule of thumb” before commenting.
This comes after digitally manipulated clips portraying him praising Pakistan for “good diplomacy” and “completely pinning down” the Indian cricket board were making rounds on social media.
On 1 February, Pakistan announced that it would not take the field against India in their scheduled Group A fixture on 15 February 2026 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Fact-checkers like AltNews and India Today have also confirmed that the viral videos of Tharoor were fabricated. The audio, lip sync, and framing from actual interviews were reportedly altered.
‘Disappointed that people are believing these lies’: Tharoor
Shahi Tharoor issued another statement on X to clarify that the videos were “convincing-sounding AI-generated voice-overs” and have nothing to do with his opinions.
“There are an alarming number of deepfake videos circulating of me, with convincing-sounding AI-generated voice-overs over genuine footage of old interviews, having “me” say things I have never said,” he wrote.
“Disappointed that so many on social media are believing these lies and issuing baseless comments attacking me for purported views that I have not expressed.”
How to verify the authenticity of videos on social media?
Tharoor shared a “simple rule of thumb” to check the authenticity of videos going viral on social media.
He said, “If a statement (video or otherwise) doesn’t appear on my timeline nor on that of the purported interviewer/media source, it’s fake news.”
‘If I haven’t tweeted it, don’t believe it’: Tharoor
This isn’t the first time Shashi Tharoor has called out fake deepfake videos.
After a video falsely showed him praising the Pakistan cricket team, Tharoor on 31 March warned of the growing threat of AI-generated misinformation and urged users not to believe any statement that surfaces with his name until he tweets about it.
“I say enough already! But this habit of putting words in my mouth is now out of control — several AI-generated deepfakes claiming to be videos of me are doing the rounds,” he wrote in the older post. “The voice sounds familiar, but the words are not mine, the lip-syncing doesn’t work, and the sources are usually Pakistani disinformation sites.”
“If I haven’t tweeted it, don’t believe it!” Tharoor said.
Fact-checkers noted that in the original footage, Shashi Tharoor was speaking about keeping politics out of sports.
The actual clip came from his comments to the media on February 10, in which Tharoor emphasised that cricket and other sports should remain free from political interference. He had also said that players and diplomats should focus on their respective roles.
What did the fabricated video say?
In the 24-second manipulated video, Tharoor can be heard saying: “I think how Pakistan played is indeed brilliant. I don’t know what they would do on the field, but what they did diplomatically is absolute brilliance.”
“TheIndian cricket board was completely pinned. Hands down. This serves as a lesson that good diplomacy can make a weak nation appear as a Goliath. Pakistan has done it. I would want to appreciate them for it. It’s unthinkable,” Tharoor said in the deepfake video.
#Shashi #Tharoor #flags #videos #urges #viewers #verify #attacking #views #expressed
