India TV Fact Check: The country is in election mode these days. Assembly elections are going to be held in five states and Lok Sabha elections are also scheduled to be held next year. As a result, a wide range of political information is already circulating rapidly on social media. One such video is currently circulating on Instagram in which it is being claimed that Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has released this video against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). When we fact-checked this video, it was found to be entirely misleading.
What is going viral?
A user with the name "meraj_lifeline7" posted this video on the social media platform Instagram. This video was posted on September 11 and has been viewed by over 57,000 people. In this video, there is text that reads: "Hey look, now even Aamir Khan's video is out against the BJP. Vote in the right place. Your vote will decide the future of your children." In the background of this text, Aamir Khan is visible, and his voice can also be heard from behind.
The caption alongside the video reads, "Hey look, now even Aamir Khan's video is here against the BJP. Make sure to cast your vote in the right place. Your vote will determine the future of your children. If your vote goes to the wrong candidate, consider that your children's future is ruined. Don't vote based on caste. Vote for education. Jai Hind." (the caption has been roughly translated from Hindi).
India TV did fact check
First of all, we carefully watched the video. It was evident in the video that Aamir Khan was speaking. Afterwards, we conducted a Google search using keywords such as 'Aamir Khan + vote appeal,' which yielded several videos. During this search, we came across a video which was available on a verified YouTube channel named ADR India. In this video also, Aamir Khan is seen saying the same things which are heard saying in the viral video. This video was uploaded on April 18, 2019. Its title read, "Aamir Khan's Appeal to the Voters." We attentively listened to this one-minute video. Throughout the entire video, Bollywood actor Aamir Khan did not make any appeal to vote against the BJP or any political party.
This video of Aamir Khan is from four years ago, during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In the video, he is attempting to raise awareness among the public about how they can obtain information about the background and profile of candidates running for the election in their electoral constituency. He suggests that if people want to know more about the candidates or their campaign, they can call or send an SMS to a specific number. Throughout the entire video, Aamir Khan does not mention the name of any political party or its candidates.
Watch the full and original video here:
What came out in the investigation?
When we thoroughly investigated Aamir Khan's video, we found that the claim associated with it is misleading. This video is four years old, dating back to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and Aamir Khan does not mention the name of any political party in it.
