A video of a woman dancing to Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai is circulating with false claims misidentifying her as actor Waheeda Rehman. BOOM found that the woman in the video is Sunila Ashok, a former teacher and a passionate dancer, who danced to the cover of the song.
The video is circulating on social media platforms with captions claiming that Waheeda Rehman, a former actor who is nowin her eighties, recreated the song. The iconic song was originally picturised on Rehman and actor Dev Anand from the film Guide.
The posts have been captioned as, "At the age of 85, Wheeda Rehman is dancing with same grace and elegance. Awarded Dadasaheb Phalke Award!"
Rehman will received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2021. Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur in a post on X (formerly Twitter) announced that the actor will be honoured with India's highest film honour this year for her contribution to Indian cinema.
BOOM also received the video on its helpline number for verification.
The video is also circulating on X (formerly Twitter) with claims misidentifying the dancer as actor Waheeda Rehman.
Fact Check
BOOM scanned the replies from few of the Facebook posts and found a reply by a user who identified the dancer as Mayookha.
We then looked up Mayookha Sunila Ashok's YouTube channel and found the same video which was uploaded on January 2, 2022.
The video has since been viewed more than 9 lakh times. According to the description of the video, the dance performance was choroeographed by Anoushka Sachdeva. "Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai' has been beautifully choreographed by Anoushka Sachdeva (@aangan_ tedha) during the initial month of my joining her dance class. The lyrics are in sync with my thoughts, my mood and my plans for my onward journey with Mayookha, so I felt that this song is perfect for a new year release."
Videos of Sunila's dance performances can also be seen on her Instagram account in the handle mayookha_sunila.
Sunila Ashok also shared videos of her participating in a reality show, Superstar after Retirement by Bajaj Allianz Life. According to the description of the show, Sunila is a retired teacher and a passionate dancer. She was selected from entries by retired bankers, entrepreneurs, teachers and other professionals for the show, that produced a music video with the selected contestants.
Sunila's interview can be seen below.
BOOM also reached out to Sunila Ashok for a comment. Ashok confirmed to BOOM that it is her in the viral video. "Yes that is me in the video. I uploaded it on my YouTube page a few months ago," she told BOOM.