MUMBAI- In online celebrity culture, the gap between viral fame and targeted smear is razor-thin. This week, Payal Dhare, better known as “Payal Gaming”, found herself at the centre of a planned misinformation drive that has shaken the Indian esports and creator community.
Everything started on a much brighter note earlier this month. During the Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai, stadium cameras picked up Dhare in the crowd during a tense India vs Australia clash.
Wearing the India jersey and cheering with the fans, she appeared on the big screen for only a few seconds, but that was enough for the clip to explode online.
Within hours, cricket viewers around the world were asking, “Who is the mystery girl in the stands?”
For her more than four million YouTube followers, there was no mystery at all. For many others, it was their first look at one of India’s most popular female gaming creators. The sweet “unknown fan” story did not last long, though.
By 16 December 2025, search results and platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram were packed with posts about a so-called “Dubai MMS leak” linked to her name.
How the Deepfake Hoax Spread
The rumours focused on a clip of around 1 minute 20 seconds that supposedly showed Dhare in a private and intimate moment. Fact-checking teams and independent reporters have already dismissed these claims as completely false. Specialists have pointed to the growing problem of AI-generated deepfakes, fake videos that copy a person’s face or voice to create abusive or sexual content without consent.
“We are seeing a planned move to pull down a self-made woman who has worked her way up in a male-dominated industry,” a spokesperson from S8UL Esports, Dhare’s organisation, said. “Most of the links being shared are phishing traps that try to steal data from users by feeding on their curiosity.”
Fans Push Back
The deepfake video claims created a short-lived storm, but the answer from the “Payal Army”, her loyal fanbase, came just as fast. Thousands of supporters used social media to report fake links, flag misleading posts, and speak up for her reputation.
“It’s painful to see someone’s years of hard work attacked for a few clicks,” one fan wrote on X. “This isn’t just about Payal, it’s about every woman who spends time online.”
Dhare has stayed mostly quiet on the exact accusations, choosing not to fuel the rumour cycle. Her recent photos and posts from Dubai show her attending events and focusing on work. Her story, from growing up in a small village in Madhya Pradesh to sitting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to talk about the future of gaming, still speaks louder than any fake clip.
The Hidden Price of Online Fame
This scandal shines a light on a darker side of internet popularity in 2025. As creators grow bigger, they also face more serious risks, including:
- Deepfake abuse: Using AI tools to build fake, explicit, or abusive videos.
- Clickbait scams: Using shocking search terms to push traffic to unsafe or unrelated sites.
- Privacy attacks: Ripping down the line between a creator’s public image and private life.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Real Name | Payal Dhare |
| Origin | Umranala, Madhya Pradesh |
| Subscribers | 4.5 million+ (YouTube) |
| Key Accolades | Mobile Streamer of the Year (2024), International MOBIES Award winner |
Why Digital Awareness Matters More Than Ever
This case is a sharp reminder that online safety is everyone’s job. Cybersecurity experts warn people not to click on links that claim to show “leaked” or “private” content, since many of these sites carry malware or run phishing attacks to collect passwords and personal data.
As the noise around the fake video starts to fade, the larger questions remain. Users, platforms, and regulators need stronger checks on AI-made content, better tools for reporting deepfakes, and quicker action against accounts that spread lies.
For Payal Gaming, what began as a fun stadium highlight turned into a harsh lesson about how fast rumours travel. Yet the real headline of 2025 is not the hoax, but the way her community stood firm and refused to let a digital lie bury years of real-world success.
