A 15-second clip was enough to reopen a conversation that many Indian fans of Thai entertainment say has been building for months. This time, the criticism is directed at Thai actors Fourth Nattawat and Gemini Norawit following their appearance on Thailand’s version of The Late Night Show, titled A Thai Late-Night Show, hosted by Katanyu Sawangsri.
In August 2026, Pond performed Helikopter, a Bosnian song by Fazlija, on the first day of the Pond Phuwin concert. Gemini and Fourth first made a major impact together in the 2022 series My School President. They also called for accountability not just from the actor, but from those who laughed along with the performance. The controversy comes less than two months after a similar debate involving another GMMTV actor, Pond Naravit. He was brought onto the stage in a yellow helicopter, dressed in a pagri and sherwani. During the performance, some viewers felt that parts of his choreography drew from Bharatanatyam, the Indian classical dance form, as well as steps from the Malhari sequence in the film Bajirao Mastani. Gemini played Tinn, the student council president, while Fourth starred as Gun, the leader of the school’s music club. The show’s popularity quickly established the two actors as one of GMMTV’s most in-demand pairings.
Earlier this week, a clip from Fourth and Gemini’s recent appearance on a variety show went viral, drawing criticism from social media users who accused Fourth of being “disrespectful to Indian culture”.
Why the dance upset Indian fans
The reaction also reflects a growing frustration with GMMTV and the wider Thai BL industry. They are so problematic and racist towards Indian culture one after another. TID is gonna be last project I’ll ever follow. That too caz FK aren’t the ones in this list like ever. The combination left many Indian fans questioning why Indian clothing and dance movements were being used alongside a Bosnian song. For those who criticised the performance, the issue was not simply the use of Indian cultural elements, but the way they believed those elements were presented, without context and in a manner that came across as a caricature. The backlash led to the hashtag #PondapologizetoIndianpeople. However, the performance reportedly continued during the following two days of the concert, with no public acknowledgement or apology addressing the criticism.
One widely shared post said: “I’m so done with @GMMTV and Thai BL industry.
He joined GMMTV soon after and went on to build a career as both an actor and singer. He studies Integrated Innovation at Chulalongkorn University and has also ventured into business. Gemini Norawit Titicharoenrak, born on June 13, 2004, was a finalist in the same Thailand School Star 2019 competition.
