Shah Rukh Khan visits Maha Kumbh Mela? No, video shows SRK’s Tirupati Temple visit in 2023
Claim: The video shows Shah Rukh Khan visiting Maha Kumbh Mela in UP to take a holy dip in the Ganges River.
Fact: The claim is false. The video shows SRK’s visit to Tirupati Temple before the release of his film Jawan in 2023.
Hyderabad: A video of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan exiting a temple with his daughter, Suhana Khan and his manager Pooja Dadlani is circulating on social media. The accompanying claim suggests that he visited the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, to take a holy dip in the Ganges River.
An Instagram account shared the video with the caption, “Shah Rukh Khan arrived at the Mahakumbh.” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video shows SRK visiting Sri Venkateshwara Swamy temple in Tirupati before the release of his film ‘Jawan’.
A reverse image search of the video’s keyframes directed us to the extended version published by NDTV on September 5, 2023, titled ‘Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara Visit Tirupati Ahead of Jawan’s Release.’
According to the channel, Shah Rukh Khan visited the Sri Venkateshwara Swamy temple in Tirupati to offer prayers ahead of the release of his upcoming film Jawan. Dressed in traditional attire, the actor was seen at the temple. His co-star Nayanthara, accompanied by her husband, Vignesh Shivan, also visited the temple. They can also be spotted in the viral video.
We also found the same visuals of his visit to the Tirupati Temple, published by The Indian Express, The Economic Times, The Tribune and News 9 Live on September 5, 2023. These media outlets reported that Shah Rukh Khan, accompanied by his family members and actress Nayanthara, visited the temple ahead of the release of his film Jawan.
According to reports from The Times of India and Hindustan Times of September 5, 2025, Shah Rukh Khan visited several temples to seek blessings ahead of the release of Jawan on September 7, 2025. During his visit to the Sri Venkateshwara Swamy Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, the superstar was seen wearing a cream mundu, a short kurta and a matching stole with a golden border, as seen in the viral video.
Therefore, we conclude that the video is from 2023 and shows his visit to Tirupati Temple in Andhra Pradesh. The claim is false.
(This story was originally published by newsmeter.in, and republished by english.varthabharati.in as part of the Shakti Collective)
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Deepfake video of Nirmala Sitharaman used to dupe Belagavi man in Rs 7.9 lakh scam
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): A 76-year-old man in Belagavi city was allegedly cheated of Rs 7.9 lakh in an online investment scam that used an AI-generated deepfake video misusing the name of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to lure investors, police said on Wednesday.
An online fraud case was registered at the cybercrime police station on May 1, they said.
According to Belagavi Police Commissioner Bhushan Gulabrao Borase, the victim, Prakash Gubbi, a senior citizen, stated in his complaint that in November last year, he came across a video on YouTube in which Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman appeared to endorse an investment scheme.
The video also mentioned a link in its description for making investments.
The victim clicked on the link, entered his details, and was later contacted on social media by a person identifying himself as Adarsh Anand, who persuaded him to invest, the officer told reporters.
Citing the complaint, the officer said the victim initially invested a small amount, after which the application began showing profits of USD 65,000.
When he attempted to withdraw the amount, the accused demanded a “customs duty” payment of Rs 4.2 lakh, claiming it was required to process the withdrawal.
The victim paid the amount, after which he was asked to pay an additional Rs 2 lakh. It was at this stage that he realised he had been cheated. In total, he lost around Rs 7.9 lakh in the fraud, the officer added.
A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, and police are investigating the matter, police said.
The commissioner cautioned the public not to trust such videos, stating that the finance minister does not endorse any such schemes.
He warned that such content is created using artificial intelligence and deepfake technology.
He further advised the public to remain vigilant, avoid offers that appear too good to be true on the internet, and invest only through legitimate, registered agencies or trusted channels.
Deepfake technology enables the creation of realistic videos, audio recordings, and images that can mislead viewers by superimposing one person’s likeness onto another, altering their words and actions. This can present a false narrative or spread misinformation.
