Ratan Tata's aide Shantanu Naidu calls out Gemini AI saree trend; says, 'Tum log India me hai. America mein nahi'

Shantanu Naidu, former aide to the late industrialist Ratan Tata, has taken a lighthearted dig at the viral Gemini AI saree trend that has flooded Indian social media feeds.

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The trend, powered by Google DeepMind’s Nano Banana image-editing model in the Gemini app, allows users to transform everyday pictures into stylized saree portraits. In a humorous Instagram video, Naidu pointed out that most participants in the trend live in India, a country where sarees are already a staple.

“Tum log India me hai. America mein nahi hai. India! Land of the saree. Tumhare kapaat mein at least 15 saree hai. Itna lazy ho gaya tum… AI ko generate karne ko bola jo kapda tumhare kapaat mein…” he quipped, mixing accented Hindi and English.

(You live in India, not America. This is the land of the saree. You have at least 15 sarees in your cupboard. You’ve become so lazy that you’re asking AI to generate what’s already in your wardrobe…).

Watch the Shantan Naidu video:

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Naidu then likened the trend to asking a program to make a picture of him with his dog.

“The dog is right there. Just go sit next to him and take a picture!” he laughed.

He urged followers to embrace authenticity: “Original saree mein tum aur sundar dikhta hai. Saree pehno, photo nikalo” (You look more beautiful in your own saree. Wear it, take a photo).

He added that he could understand people using the tool for things they don’t typically own, like white wedding gowns, but said sarees are already a staple in most Indian wardrobes, making the obsession puzzling.

The clip ended with a playful disclaimer: “Mai toh masti mai bolta hai” (I’m just saying this in fun).

Netizens reaction

Despite its lighthearted tone, the video struck a chord with viewers and quickly resonated across X and Instagram.

“Well said man!! Extremely well executed”, a user wrote. 

“Love how his Hindi has South Indian languages and Marathi influence”, another expressed.

“Hahha sounded so cute & funny 😂❤️… thankgod I didn’t tried this trend!” a third wrote.

“I liked the word kapat , and sanasudi too much of Marathi within hindi . Sounded funny 🤣 too good . Love you Shantanu”, a fourth added.