A video that shows Mohanlal making an obscene gesture is now going viral on online spaces. In the video, the Mollywood superstar can be seen watching the dance performance of Shruti Haasan, and later he can allegedly be seen making an obscene gesture. The video is being widely circulated on Facebook and YouTube, drawing a lot of criticism towards the actor.
The claim
In several online posts, it is being claimed that Mohanlal did this obscene gesture while watching Shruti Haasan dancing in South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) show. Mollywood megastar Mammootty and Siddique can be also seen sitting near Mohanlal while he makes this gesture.
As Mohanlal performs the act, both Mammootty and Siddique can be seen laughing. After watching the video on Facebook, several people are lashing out at Mohanlal for doing such a thing in public.
Fact check
International Business Times reviewed the claims made by the uploaders of this video. Our independent research shows that the clip, which is going viral has been cleverly edited. Shruti Haasan's dance video has been taken from SIIMA award night, while Mohanlal (without beard) performed that gesture during Ujala Asianet Film Awards, which happened in 2014 also attended Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan.
When Shruti Haasan's dance performance was held at SIIMA Awards in 2015, he was seen present with a beard as seen in the video below [see at 00:38 seconds].
Based on our investigation, it is clear that the video of Mohanlal and Shruti Hassan that has gone viral on social media is doctored. The clippings are carefully edited together to make them appear as if they happened at the same time, when in fact, each is from different events at different times.
