What Babydoll Archi's Viral Fame Says About India's Porn Problem

In the last few years, artificial intelligence has moved far beyond being just a fun tool for editing selfies or generating quirky videos for your Instagram reel. It has crept into every industry and left its mark, sometimes for better, often for worse. What was once a novelty is now the norm.

But with every step forward, the line between what's real and what's artificial has started to blur. The recent rise of Babydoll Archi, an Instagram sensation with over 1.4 million followers, is a chilling example of how this powerful technology, when misused, can spiral into something far more damaging than just another internet trend.

Who Is Babydoll Archi?

It all began with a seemingly harmless video-a woman in a saree, lip-syncing to Dame Un Grrr, a Spanish track by Romanian singer Kate Linn. The reel went viral almost overnight.

Soon, the Instagram handle "Babydoll Archi" was everywhere, flooding feeds, gaining followers, and even receiving the coveted blue tick.

Within weeks, Babydoll Archi AKA Archita Phukan had amassed over 1.4 million followers, appeared to collaborate with another influencer with 8 million followers, and became the subject of endless fascination.

But there was just one problem: she wasn't real.

Behind the glossy filters, seductive reels and picture-perfect posts, Babydoll Archi was a fabrication -- not a digital artist playing a character, not a performer using AI for art, but an AI-generated persona built from scratch, crafted using morphed photos and videos of a real woman.

And the real woman? Sources tell us she was a married resident of Dibrugarh, Assam, who was suddenly and traumatically thrust into a world of public scrutiny, digital violation, and harassment.

From Harassment To Profit-Making

"What started as harassment soon turned into a profit-making business," said Sizal Agarwal, IPS, SSP In-charge of Dibrugarh. Her statement came during the revelation of what has now become a significant cyber defamation case, one that highlights how deepfakes and generative AI are being weaponised.

At the centre of it all is Pratim Bora, a mechanical engineer from Tinsukia, Assam. Bora studied in Haryana and was employed by a Delhi-based company, working remotely from Assam. He was arrested by Dibrugarh Police after a cyber defamation case was filed on Saturday, July 12, involving manipulation of digital content for personal gain. According to Agarwal, Bora had systematically created morphed images and AI-generated content using just one photo of the woman to grow the Babydoll Archi persona.

The account was created in August 2020 and has changed names twice since then-the latest being from Babydoll Archi to Amira Ishtara.

His motive? A toxic cocktail of personal revenge, attention-seeking behaviour, and financial greed.

The court granted Dibrugarh Police five days' remand to interrogate Bora further and extract key digital evidence. Early reports suggest he earned around Rs 3 lakh in just five days, and Rs 10 lakh overall, through monetisation of viral reels and a subscription page via Linktree, where a section called 'Actual Fans' featured AI-generated adult content, according to Agarwal.

"We traced the Instagram account's number and linked it to Pratim's name. When we asked the family if they knew who he was, they told us he was a past acquaintance of the victim. He started it to harass her, but as soon as he started earning money, he became greedy and continued the account," Agarwal said.

Sizal Agarwal, IPS, In-charge SSP #Dibrugarh, urges all citizens to follow basic cyber safety practices and reporting cyber crimes promptly. What may seem like fun content can cause real mental harm.@DGPAssamPolice @assampolice @dibrugarhpolice @HardiSpeaks pic.twitter.com/Ej38vLsZe2

— Dibrugarh 24x7 (@dibrugarh24x7) July 14, 2025

Police are now investigating a broader web - fake Gmail IDs, AI tools, multiple social media accounts, and potential collaborators who may have helped propagate the content. They have also confiscated multiple SIM cards, a laptop, tablet, debit and credit cards.

Preliminary findings, according to Dibrugarh Police, show that Bora used a single photo of the victim to create porn-like content using AI software such as OpenAI, Midjourney, and others.

As of now, it remains unclear how the account with the name Archita Phukan, managed by Bora, managed to get comments from US adult film star Kendra Lust, where photos of both Lust and Phukan were visible.

Kendra's comment and her image (which can be morphed) were major reasons why the Internet believed Phukan was a real girl from Assam who had joined the adult industry in the US, rather than AI fabrication.

The Real Issue

The truth is grim. A woman, going about her normal life, woke up to find her identity, dignity, and peace of mind hijacked by an Internet fantasy. And the Internet -- famously fast to react and slow to verify -- lapped it all up. This happened despite early suspicions that Phukan's account might be fake.

Now that we have discussed the dangers of AI, we need to address another issue that Phukan's case raises: India's porn problem.

While the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) does not classify porn addiction as a mental disorder, many experts have called for the inclusion of internet addiction, with a special focus on online pornography addiction, given its prevalence.

With easy access to social media, leaked MMS clips, morphed photos, and more, obscene content disguised as entertainment is growing rapidly online. As technology advances every day, cases of revenge porn are increasing - and so is porn addiction. This content spreads like wildfire across platforms.

A quick analysis of Phukan's Instagram account shows her comment section filled with bots and users either sharing links or asking for similar obscene videos.

The Taboo, The Intrigue & The Porn Problem

Shreya Kaul, a Noida-based counselling psychologist, tells NDTV that narratives around sex in India are incredibly confusing.

"It's taboo, it's frowned upon, it's called obscene. There's a clash of ideologies, as though one's sexual activity and sex life are directly tied to their morality, culture, and standing in society. It's treated almost as a question of right and wrong," Shreya says.

But the less we talk about something, the more intrigue and curiosity it generates. It's like wet paint; the moment you say "don't touch," people want to touch it. Curiosity peaks when something is off-limits.

"Whether people enjoy watching sexual content or do it for thrill-seeking purposes, the laws surrounding pornography in India are inconsistent and ever-changing. Whether they condone it or consume it as rebellion, gratification, or curiosity, most will still watch it - even those who publicly denounce it," Shreya adds.

India's porn addiction is rising. Photo: Unsplash

Since sex is not openly discussed, we lack sex education that is inclusive, informative, and evolving. The focus is always abstinence. Teenagers and young adults grow up knowing little to nothing about sex. Sadly, pornography ends up being one of the primary sources of sex education, but it portrays a distorted version of reality. Pornography is produced, directed, choreographed, and edited. It's not a genuine reflection of real-life intimacy.

Access to porn is now easier than ever, and that has changed everything. Statistics released a few years ago showed that 89% of porn consumers in India viewed it on their phones. That alone speaks volumes about how digital consumption has evolved, smartphones have made everything more accessible. Whether it's a casual image or an explicit video, anything can go viral in seconds.

Sex is already a taboo, confusing topic , but when it's linked to gender, especially women, it gets even more complicated.

A woman's character is often judged by whether she's labelled with derogatory terms like "prostitute", "slut", or "whore", regardless of the context. These deeply harmful words are hurled without hesitation.

"In this case, there was the added intrigue of her being Assamese and the fake Instagram account tying her to someone from the US film industry. The edited pictures were designed to captivate male audiences, to enthral and titillate. That's when it started gaining traction. Then came the AI-generated video, which went viral, amplified by all the prior buzz surrounding her," Shreya explains.

Phukan's case is a stark reminder, as IPS Agarwal rightly said, "This case has brought to light a very important fact. We need to apply our brain when we see content online and make sure whether the information is true and verified or not."

So, the next time you come across a viral video that seems too perfect to be true -- pause, verify, and remember: behind the pixels, there may be a crime.