Did Akshay Kumar Express Support for Palestine? No, Videos Are Fabricated!
We found that both videos were altered to include audio of Akshay Kumar supporting Palestinians.
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A set of videos showing Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar are being shared on social media, which show the actor purportedly expressing support for Palestine and Palestinians.
What do the videos say?: Both videos carry audio where Kumar is heard expressing support for Palestine.
In the first video, Kumar is heard saying that what is happening with Palestinians is wrong. He says that he feels great sorrow over the situation, but believes that it will get better.
The actor is seen with pro-Palestinian signage on his face in the second video, saying that he is "with Palestinians." He adds that nothing bad will happen to them and that "if Pakistan stands with Palestine, so does India. I love you, Palestine," he purportedly says.
(Note: Swipe to view screenshots of both claims.)
This video of Akshay Kumar speaking from a gym is viral on Instagram.
The video shows Kumar with a filter on his face.
But...?: Both videos are fabricated.
The first video dates back to October 2020, when Kumar shared a video on his Instagram account where he discussed accusations of Bollywood being an industry riddled with drugs a few months after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
The audio of Kumar supporting Palestine was superimposed on this video.
In the second video, Kumar was promoting a film called Jugjugg Jeeyo. An Instagram filter called Palestine was used on this video, along with audio of him expressing support for Palestine.
How did we find out?: We went through Akshay Kumar's verified social media accounts to look for his statements on Palestine.
This led us to a Facebook post from March 2016, when the actor shared a photo with Palestinian primary school teacher Hanan Al Hroub, who won the Global Teacher Prize that year.
Kumar shared a picture with Palestinian teacher Hanan Al Hroub.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
The first video: Using relevant keywords, we looked for more details related to the first video, where Kumar is speaking from what looks like a gym.
According to an article in The Times of India, published in 2020, Kumar had shared a video requesting people not to "defame Bollywood" after the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
This article carried a video of Kumar which was similar to the one in the claim, shared on his verified Instagram account.
Comparison of Kumar's Instagram image with the viral video.
(Source: Facebook/Instagram/Altered by The Quint
In this video, Kumar says that he is speaking with a "heavy heart" because of a lot of negativity.
He says that over the years, films have tried to show the people's issues – be it anger, poverty, unemployment or corruption.
"After Sushant Singh Rajput's sudden death, many such issues have come to light. These issues have hurt us just as much as they have hurt you, making us introspect," Kumar says.
He talks about how people have forced the film industry to look at its shortcomings, like narcotics and drugs, which need to be addressed.
"Every industry has its problems. But every single person from that industry or profession cannot be involved in the problem," the actor says.
Kumar then asks the viewers not to judge everyone in the industry over the narcotics issue.
The viral part in the claim, where Kumar says, "This isn't right, it is wrong, isn't it?" starts after these statements.
Then, he says that he believes in the media raising the right issues at the right time, which gives many people a platform to raise their voices and seek justice.
Towards then end, Kumar requests the media to continue doing their work "but in a sensitive manner because one piece of negative news may ruin somebody's reputation and undo years of hard work."
The audio heard in the viral video was added to this video to show Kumar condemning the state of Palestinians.
The second video: We came across the second video on Kumar's Instagram account.
Comparison of Kumar's Instagram video with the viral video.
(Source: Facebook/Instagram/Altered by The Quint
In this video, Kumar tells his viewers about the film Jugjugg Jeeyo, asking them to watch it.
He lists the film's cast and crew, including actors Anil Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Varun Dhawan and Kiara Advani and mentions producers Karan Johar and Apoorva Mehta, wishing them the best.
The viral video in the claim uses this video, with an Instagram filter called 'Palestine' created by one 'solatanos0' to show Kumar with pro-Palestine signage on his face.
Some examples of the same filter on different celebrities' faces can be seen below.
(Note: Swipe to view some examples.)
Photograph of Anupam Kher with the Palestine filter.
Photograph of Kajol with the Palestine filter.
While we have not been able to independently verify the source of the audio clips added to both videos, we can confirm that both videos have been altered.
The Quint has reached out to Akshay Kumar's PR team and will update the article with their response if and when it is received.
Conclusion: Social media users are sharing altered videos of Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar to claim that he expressed support for Palestinians.
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