Fact Check: Actor Akshay Kumar did not speak in support of Palestine, viral videos were doctored
Several videos of Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar allegedly speaking in support of Palestine are viral on social media. In one such video, the actor can be heard talking about the wrongful treatment of Palestinians.
Several videos of Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar allegedly speaking in support of Palestine are viral on social media. In one such video, the actor can be heard talking about the wrongful treatment of Palestinians. (archive)
In another, an Arabic text reading 'Palestine' is seen on his face and he is heard saying, "I am with Palestinians." (archive)
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In one other video, the actor is seen thanking Pakistan and all Muslims in the world for supporting Palestine.
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FACT CHECK:
All the above mentioned videos are doctored and dubbed videos.
Video 1:
A reverse image search led to finding the original video from 2020. On October 3, 2020, the actor took to social media and shared a message talking about the problem of drugs in Bollywood. He spoke about how people have forced the film industry to look at the menace of narcotics and drugs which is plaguing it and needs to be addressed. "Every industry has its own shortcomings but every individual from that industry might not be the reason for the problem," the actor says.
The video was shared when several Bollywood stars, including Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan and Shraddha Kapoor, were investigated for alleged drug consumption following suspicion about the same in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case.
Video 2:
A reverse image search led to finding the original video from June 24, 2022 on the actor’s Instagram page. In this video, Kumar asks his followers to watch 'Jug Jugg Jeeyo', a film starring Kiara Advani, Varun Dhawan, Neetu Kapoor, and Anil Kapoor.
The Palestinian flag and Arabic text on Kumar's face have been added using an effect called 'Palestine' created on Instagram..
Video 3:
We noticed the logos of the Mumbai police and the Traffic Control branch in the video. A reverse image search led to a tweet by Mumbai traffic police uploaded on January 11, 2023. In the video, Kumar addresses the importance of observing traffic rules and road safety on the occasion of National Road Safety Week.
Evidently, it is clear that the viral videos are fake. They were doctored and duped to falsely show Akshay Kumar speaking in support of Palestine.
