A set of images of actor Rakhi Sawant holding the flag of Pakistan is being circulated to take a dig at the actor. However, a source close to the actor confirmed to The Quint that the images in question are from 2019, when Sawant was shooting for the film Mudda 370 J&K.
CLAIM
The viral posts carry three images with the claim: “यें हैं ऱाखी_सांवत की सच्चाई खुद को हिंदुस्तानी होने का बकवास करते रहती है |”
(Translated: This is the reality of Rakhi Sawant who keeps talking nonsense about her being a Hindustani)
Several social media users have shared the images on Twitter and Facebook with the same claim.
WHAT WE FOUND
A Google reverse image search led us to a YouTube video uploaded in May 2019 that mentioned that the images are from the shoot of Rakhi Sawant’s film Dhara 370.
With the help of keyword search, we also found a report by The Indian Express published last year that mentioned that she was then trolled for posing with Pakistan’s flag.
On 8 May 2019, Rakhi Sawant had uploaded a series of photos on Instagram with the caption: “I love my india but its my character in the film dhara 370. (sic)”
She had also released a video then mentioning that she was shooting for film Dhara 370, which was based on Kashmir and Kashmiri Pandits and that she played the “role of a Pakistani girl.”
On Monday, 21 September, she again released a video to clarify that the viral images in question are old and from her film Mudda 370 based on Kashmir.
A source close to Rakhi Sawant confirmed to The Quint that the images are old and the shooting of the film in question took place in different parts of India including Kashmir.
The source also said that the film released in 2019 is based on the concept of ‘Dhara 370’ and it got released under the title Mudda 370 J&K.
In December 2019, an IANS report had quoted her saying that the film, directed by her brother Rakesh Sawant, will be an “informative experience for the audience as far as Article 370 goes.”
Evidently, old images of actor Rakhi Sawant from the sets of film Mudda 370 J&K have been revived with misleading claims.
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