By Surbhi Kaul

Copyright timesnownews

A new AI trend is sweeping social media, merging nostalgia, fashion, and technology: Google’s Gemini Nano Banana tool has given rise to viral saree edits. Users upload photos and transform themselves into 1990s-style portraits, complete with elegant sarees, dramatic lighting, and retro backdrops. While millions have embraced the craze, not everyone is impressed. Shantanu Naidu, the young aide and “millennial manager” to industrialist Ratan Tata, weighed in with a humorous critique, poking fun at those participating in the trend. Known for his witty online presence, Naidu highlighted the irony of generating saree images with AI when most participants already own multiple sarees. He said, “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…” (You people are in India. Not in America. India! The land of the saree. You have at least 15 sarees in your wardrobe. You’ve become so lazy… You asked AI to generate the fabric that’s already in your wardrobe.) Naidu then suggested that users would look far better in their own sarees than in AI-generated ones: “You look more stunning in your original saree. Just wear it and take a photo.” He went on to extend his playful critique, saying AI saree edits are unnecessary, while pointing out situations where AI could be more useful. Generating pictures in white wedding gowns would make more sense, since Indians typically don’t own them. Similarly, asking AI to make a photo with his dog seemed pointless: “The dog is right next to me. Just sit with him and click a photo!” The video quickly struck a chord with viewers, who flocked to the comments with amused reactions. One user wrote, “Inner me: finally someone said it.” Another added, “Bro just casually spilt the truth and sipped his tea.” A third chimed in, “Finally, somebody chose to speak the fact.” And another said, “U r a star .. no wonder our hero Ratan Tata Sir loved u so much.” Google’s Nano Banana AI, embedded in the Gemini app, initially gained fame for creating 3D figurine-style edits. The tool has since expanded to other formats, with saree transformations becoming one of the trendiest applications online.