Girija Oak Godbole’s unexpected internet fame came with two sharply contrasting sides. A single blue saree photograph sent social media into a frenzy, bringing her admiration and renewed attention for her work in Marathi theatre, television, and films like Taare Zameen Par and Jawan.
But the past few days also forced her to confront the darker side of virality, as memes and fan edits gave way to disturbing AI-morphed images that crossed boundaries she never consented to.
In a heartfelt video she posted on Instagram, Girija opened up about the flip side of going viral.
She said the past 72 hours have been nothing short of overwhelming. “What has been happening on social media for the past three days has been absolute madness. It’s crazy and great in equal parts,” she said, acknowledging the sudden burst of attention. She thanked fans, friends, and colleagues for the “love coming my way… messages, phone calls, memes—some of them are ridiculously funny and very creative.”
But then she shifted to what had clearly shaken her.
“Some of them are also AI-morphed images of me, which are not in great taste. They are sexualised and objectified beyond comfort, and this bothers me,” she admitted. What began as a harmless viral trend quickly morphed into the usual pattern that plagues women online. Girija pointed out that the digital world thrives on a sense of boundlessness. “What is bothering me is that this game has no rules. And there’s absolutely nothing that is not allowed in this game.”
She didn’t speak only as an actor. She spoke as a mother.
“I have a twelve-year-old son… eventually he will have access to these images. They’ll remain on the internet forever. These obscene images of his mother—he’s going to see them one day, and it worries me,” she said. Her voice carried the weight of a reality every public figure, especially women, quietly fears: the internet’s memory is permanent.
“This is scary,” she said, cutting straight to the heart of what AI misuse now means in everyday life.
Her final message wasn’t to the trolls, but to the consumers too: “If you consume such content, you’re part of the problem,” she said, calling out the passive complicity that fuels the cycle.
Girija Oak may have gone viral for her blue saree look, but the conversation she’s forcing now is far more important. It’s not about a picture. It’s about consent, dignity, and the future her son will inherit in a world where images can be faked, shared, and weaponized in seconds.
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