Claim: Tom Cruise spoke about Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter pilot Kamran Masih, saying the French government is “currently captivated” by him.
Fact: The video of Cruise talking about Kamran Masih is doctored, likely using AI. The original video is from his appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in February 2023.
On 15 May 2025, Soch Fact Check received two videos — labelled Part 1 and Part 2 — on WhatsApp showing celebrated Hollywood actor Tom Cruise allegedly talking about PAF Squadron Leader Kamran Masih and saying the French government is “currently captivated” by his performance during the recent military escalation between India and Pakistan. Both clips appear to be from the same interview.
In the first video, Cruise says, “Did you know that the French government is currently captivated by a Pakistani Air Force hero pilot, Kamran Masih? French officials have formally requested that Pakistan send Kamran to France so he can provide advanced training to their fighter pilots, especially at a time when aerial combat skills are under global scrutiny. This request follows a failed operation by Indian forces, which not only damaged the reputation of a major French defense contractor but also raised concerns among global allies, particularly the United States. In contrast, Kamran Masih demonstrated exceptional skill flying the JF-17 Thunder, positioning himself as a symbol of precision and capability in South Asia, now drawing attention from NATO observers and US defense alike.”
In the second clip, the American actor says, “According to French media, if Pakistan agrees to send Kamran, France is prepared to gift 50 Rafale jets in return. While Pakistan’s government has yet to issue an official response, public sentiment in the country is filled with pride and celebration. The question remains: Will Pakistan allow its hero to become a symbol of global excellence or keep him grounded at home?”
Kamran Masih — whose full name has been mentioned as Kamran Masih Bhatti in some places and Kamran Bashir Masih in others — “is credited with participating in an attack on the Indian airbase at Rajouri” in Indian-administered Kashmir, according to The Express Tribune.
The state-run media outlet, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), recently reported that “a prestigious ceremony was held in New York City to honor” him, with Akram Masih Gill — the chief guest and a former member of the National Assembly — calling on the federal government to honour him with the Hilal-e-Jurat, Pakistan’s second-highest military honour.
Pakistan-India conflict
In one of the most intense military escalations in decades, Pakistan and India exchanged drones, fire, shelling, and missiles for four days in May 2025, resulting in dozens of casualties on both sides. The conflict raised fears of a nuclear war between the two neighbouring countries, which have fought three wars over the disputed Kashmir region, parts of which each controls.
So far, the total death toll is 51, including “40 civilians and 11 military service members”, and that close to 200, including 121 civilians, were wounded, according to the Pakistan Army. On the other hand, India announced that 21 civilians and five soldiers have died.
On 10 May, a ceasefire was announced by US President Donald Trump, who wrote on his Truth Social platform:
“After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Trump’s announcement came after US State Secretary Marco Rubio spoke separately to Pakistan Army Chief Gen Syed Asim Munir, Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
The ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed neighbours was confirmed by Dar, who wrote: “Pakistan and India have agreed to a ceasefire with immediate effect. Pakistan has always strived for peace and security in the region, without compromising on its sovereignty and territorial integrity!”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also confirmed the same, saying his country and Pakistan would “stop all firing and military action on land, air, and sea” with effect from 5 pm IST, or 4:30 pm PKT.
In an X post, Jaishankar wrote, “India and Pakistan have today worked out an understanding on stoppage of firing and military action. India has consistently maintained a firm and uncompromising stance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It will continue to do so.”
Shortly afterwards, CNN reported quoting an Indian source that the ceasefire was “worked out ‘directly between’ India and Pakistan, despite US President Donald Trump’s announcement that the ceasefire was the result of a night of US mediation”. The same was said by Misri and New Delhi’s Ministry of Information.
On the other hand, Pakistan expressed gratitude to the US, with PM Sharif thanking Trump “for his leadership and proactive role”, as well as Vice President JD Vance and Rubio “for their valuable contributions for peace in South Asia”.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check observed that the video appeared doctored; Cruise’s expressions and gestures do not match the severity of his tone as he remarks on the fighter pilot. Moreover, the edges of the actor’s lips look blurred and there’s a sudden jump at the 30-second mark in the clip.
Taking cues from the username that appears on the side of the frame, we were able to trace the videos back to TikTok account @gvn.news, which posted the clips here (archive) and here (archive).
Then, by reverse-searching keyframes from the viral videos, we found that they matched Cruise’s appearance on a “Jimmy Kimmel Live” episode from 25 February 2023.
For comparison, the visual below shows how the initial moments from the first and second viral clips match the 11:18 and 11:32 timestamps from the original episode, respectively.
Sound engineer’s analysis
Soch Fact Check also sought a comment for audio analysis from Shaur Azher, a lecturer and audio engineer at Soch Videos, our sister company, who specialises in sound design and mixing and mastering audio.
Azher — who also teaches at the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST) — said, “The audio in question is inauthentic and exhibits multiple characteristics consistent with AI-generated media.” The technical observations he provided to support his argument are as follows:
- Visual tampering: The video shows a blurred area around the mouth, indicative of AI-based lip-sync or facial reenactment technology used to alter spoken content.
- Synthetic frequency spectrum and overcompression: Analysis reveals an unnatural spectral range, with synthetic frequencies detected from 20Hz to 13kHz. A low-pass filter appears to cut off higher natural harmonics, which are typically present in authentic recordings. Furthermore, both RMS and Peak Compression levels are abnormally high. In contrast, original recordings from samples of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” employ minimal peak compression, maintaining natural dynamics.
Simply speaking, additional audio mixing techniques have been used to upscale the sample; this indicates the likely use of AI, rather than human speech.
- Pitch stability: The audio maintains a highly stable, synthetic pitch throughout. Authentic human speech typically includes microvariations and expressive pitch modulation, which are entirely absent here.
- Lack of ambient audience noise: Genuine late-night talk shows include audience chatter, laughter, or reactions. This audio contains no such environmental cues, suggesting an isolated or artificially-generated voice track.
- Abrupt edits: Multiple discontinuities and splices are audible, further indicating post-production tampering or the use of some deepfake technology.
Lastly, had Cruise remarked on the PAF’s performance, reputable news outlets would have reported on the development; however, there are no such articles.
X post by France 24
The video also contains a screenshot of an X (formerly Twitter) post, allegedly by the French state-owned media outlet France 24, supporting the false remarks made by Cruise. Its text reads as follows:
“We request the Government of Pakistan to allow real hero Kamran Masih–who brilliantly flew the JF-17 Thunder–to come to France and train our Air Force pilots. Unlike India’s unskilled pilot incident, Kamran showed true mastery. In return, France will gift 50 Rafale jets to Pakistan. #PakistanHero”
Numerous markers indicate that the X post in question is fabricated. Next to France 24 is a blue checkmark, which is positioned closer to the name and slightly upwards than where it should be. However, the outlet’s authentic account has a gold checkmark, a feature on the microblogging website that “indicates that the account is an official organisation account through Verified Organizations”. It is accompanied by a square profile photo.
Furthermore, France 24 is a news website and would most likely not publish statements on its government’s behalf without proper attribution to an entity or document, e.g., a ministry, an official or a notification. It would also not use partial language such as “real hero”, “brilliantly”, “failed operation”, and “unskilled pilot”; in addition, the phrase “unskilled pilot incident” is grammatically incorrect.
A state-owned news outlet is also unlikely to include a hashtag like “#PakistanHero”; if needed, it would perhaps use “#Pakistan”.
Lastly, we also scoured through the French outlet’s X account but did not find any such post or a picture of Kamran Masih. We have reached out to France 24 for a comment in this regard and this article will be updated on receiving a response.
Soch Fact Check, therefore, concludes that the viral videos of Tom Cruise talking about Pakistan are doctored.
Virality
The message Soch Fact Check received is marked “Forwarded many times,” which means it was shared through a chain of five or more chats.
The two clips posted by @gvn.news have so far been viewed over 913,600 and 417,400 times, respectively.
Soch Fact Check found the clips posted here, here, and here on TikTok.
The claim was also shared multiple times on Facebook, including here, here, here, here, and here, as well as on Instagram here, here, and here.
It was also posted here, here, and here on X, here on Threads, and here, here, and here on YouTube.
Conclusion: The video of Tom Cruise talking about Kamran Masih is doctored, likely using AI. The original video is from his appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in February 2023.
Background image in cover photo: officialtomcruise
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