Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel began his historic tenure on Thursday as the first Indian American to lead the premier investigating agency. The Republican-led US Senate confirmed Patel in a narrow majority vote of 51-49, with two Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins voting with all Democrats against confirming Trump’s nominee. Patel is now the first Indian American FBI Director and also the first of Asian descent.
Patel is a former public defender who has seen a meteoric rise in the power structure of Washington D.C. in recent years, rising up to be the Chief of Staff at the Department of Defence and Deputy Director of National Intelligence in President Trump’s first term.
Amidst the political buzz surrounding his appointment, an AI-generated video of Patel dancing to ‘Malhari’ from the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed Bollywood film ‘Bajirao Mastani’ and starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra, has taken social media by storm.
Shortly after the confirmation, Dan Scavino, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff, shared the deepfake clip on social media, featuring Patel’s face onto Ranveer’s face for the energetic dance performance that features as a celebratory track after a battle scene. The post, captioned “Congratulations to the new Director of the FBI, @Kash_Patel!”, quickly went viral, amassing thousands of reactions.
Social media users joined in on the fun, with one commenting, “Kash Patel fits perfectly on this template.” Another quipped, “The Khalli Balli begins in America!”, referencing to the track ‘Khalibali’ from Bhansali’s film ‘Padmaavat’, also featuring Ranveer as the leading man.
Others noted the cultural crossover, with a post reading, “This was released by White House Deputy Chief of Staff after Senate confirmation of Kash Patel as the next FBI Director!”
Patel’s confirmation as FBI Director has been met with mixed reactions. While supporters praise his commitment to reform, critics raise concerns over the politicization of the bureau. Patel, who previously served in the Trump administration’s national security team, has pledged to bring more transparency and accountability to the FBI.
Stepping into his new role, Kash Patel said, “My mission as Director is clear: let good cops be cops — and rebuild trust in the FBI.”
“Working alongside the dedicated men and women of the Bureau and our partners, we will rebuild an FBI the American people can be proud of. And to those who seek to harm Americans — consider this your warning. We will hunt you down in every corner of this planet,” he warned.
“Mission First. America Always. Let’s get to work,” Patel concluded.