Video Editor: Vivek Gupta
A video of actor Amitabh Bachchan thanking the doctors, nurses and staff members of Nanavati Hospital is being widely shared on social media and by several news organisations with a claim that it is from his recent visit to the hospital after he tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, 11 July.
However, we found that the claim is false and the video is from April and was recorded by the actor during the lockdown to thank the medical fraternity for braving the virus and helping people.
THE CLAIM
In the video, Bachchan can be seen thanking the medics for their relentless battle against the virus. He says, “I thank the doctors, nurses and staff of Nanavati Hospital for the tremendous work that they are doing in these trying times.”
He also adds that healthcare workers have become the embodiment of god during the pandemic.
Among those who shared the video are several news websites including Outlook and AajTak.
The video is also being massively shared on Twitter and Facebook.
WHAT WE FOUND
We fragmented the video into several keyframes using the InVid Google Chrome extension and followed it up with a reverse image search. This directed us to the same video uploaded on YouTube on 24 April by a channel called Bombay Talkies TV.
Next, a Tweetdeck search using the terms, “Amitabh Bachchan’s Message to Doctors” helped us find a tweet dated 23 April by film Journalist Faridoon Shahryar where he had shared the same video with a caption which read: “@SrBachchan inspiring message to all the doctors and nurses who are working tirelessly and fearlessly to save lives.”
We also found several news reports from April which carried the video message by the actor.
Clearly, an old video of the actor thanking the frontline workers during the pandemic is being shared with a claim that it was recorded after he was admitted to the hospital after testing positive for COVID-19.
Amitabh Bachchan was admitted to Nanavati hospital on Saturday, 11 July, after complaining of breathlessness. He tested positive for the virus. Other members of the Bachchan family including actor Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Aaradhya Bachchan have also tested positive for the virus.
(With inputs from SM Hoax Slayer)
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