Archive · 10 Sep 2026
AI-generated King Charles video promotes RT Hindi launch
Russia Today made a computer-generated video to promote its new Hindi news platform.
In the video, King Charles III appears to speak Hindi and dance Bhangra.
He also asks for lassi instead of tea.
The joke refers to Britain’s former rule over India.
The video was released shortly before an important BRICS meeting in New Delhi.
It also came before a planned meeting between Russia’s president and India’s prime minister.
This suggests the advertisement was about politics as well as news.
People online reacted with both praise and surprise.
An AI-generated Russia Today promotional video depicts King Charles III speaking Hindi, requesting lassi and performing Bhangra.
The video satirizes Britain’s colonial history and Charles’s remark that Indians were once taught to speak English.
Its release came days before the BRICS summit in New Delhi and a scheduled meeting between Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi.
RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan said the Hindi platform aims to speak not only about India but also with India.
The video reportedly received more than one million views and over 200 retweets, drawing mixed reactions online.
- Who
- Russia Today, King Charles III, Margarita Simonyan, Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi are mentioned.
- What
- Russia Today promoted its Hindi platform with an AI-generated video showing King Charles III speaking Hindi, drinking lassi and dancing Bhangra.
- When
- The video was released days before the BRICS summit and a scheduled Putin–Modi meeting; RT India was launched in December 2025, according to the article.
- Where
- The promotion targeted Indian audiences, with the BRICS summit scheduled in New Delhi.
- Why
- RT said it wanted to speak not only about India but also with India; the video also used colonial satire and coincided with renewed attention to India–Russia ties.
Supporters of the Promotion
Critics and Skeptics
Colonial satire
Supporters of the Promotion
Supporters may view the video’s depiction of Charles speaking Hindi and dancing Bhangra as an effective joke about Britain’s colonial history.
Critics and Skeptics
Critics may see the use of a royal figure and colonial references as provocative or politically loaded, though the article records mixed rather than uniformly negative reactions.
Geopolitical messaging
Supporters of the Promotion
The promotion presents Russia Today as seeking a direct relationship with Indian audiences and reflects closer India–Russia ties.
Critics and Skeptics
The timing before the BRICS summit and Putin–Modi meeting suggests the video serves a broader geopolitical and state-media outreach purpose beyond launching a language platform.
- Platform
- Russia Today’s Hindi platform, referred to as RT India
- Video format
- AI-generated promotional video
- Featured figure
- King Charles III
- Launch timing
- RT India was reported as launched in December 2025
- Newsroom
- RT reportedly built a newsroom with more than 100 journalists in the Delhi-NCR region
- Online reach
- The video reportedly exceeded one million views and 200 retweets
- Political context
- The release preceded a BRICS summit in New Delhi and a scheduled meeting between Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi