A video circulating on social media showing a man taking off his shirt and flexing his muscles at a woman, who then slaps him multiple times, is scripted and created by Instagram users known for producing staged content.
The video is being shared by right-wing social media users with a communal angle, with posts falsely claiming the man as "Abdul" and the woman as a "Hindu".
In the viral video, the man flexes his muscles, only to be confronted by a man accompanying the woman, after which she steps in and slaps him, scolding him to "show his body elsewhere."
The Hindi caption with the clip claims, "Abdul was showing his 'body' by taking off his shirt like 'Salman Khan' on the road upon seeing a 'woman'! Then the Hindu woman turned into 'Lawrence Bishnoi' and brought down 'Salman’s fever' right on the road! While Salman himself is scared, Abdul wants to act like him!”
(Original text - “लिल्लाह, अब्दुल सड़क पर 'महिला' को देखकर 'सलमान खान' बन कर 'शर्ट' उतार कर 'बाॅडी' दिखा रहा था! फिर हिन्दू महिला ने 'लॉरेंस विश्नोई' बन कर सड़क पर ही 'सलमान' का 'बुखार' उतार दिया! सलमान की खुद 'फटी' पड़ी है और 'अब्दुल' को सलमान बनने की 'चुल्ल' मची है!”)
Click here to see the tweet and here for archive.
Fact Check
Staged Video, No Muslims Involved
BOOM found that the video is staged and not a real confrontation. The man flexing his muscles in the video is a digital content creator named Nikhil Badeja who goes by the handle "miraclejerry01" on Instagram, where he frequently posts videos featuring similar scenarios of showing off his physique for comedic or entertaining reactions.
Click here to view.
Viral Video Created By Social Media Content Creators
This video, however, was initially posted by Instagram user "tamannakohli786787" on September 19, 2024, with a caption in Hindi encouraging similar responses to inappropriate behavior. Both Kohli and Badeja describe themselves as digital content creators, specialising in scripted videos. Tamanna Kohli's Instagram bio describes her as a video creator, and her content includes various pranks, skits, and scripted scenarios. Kohli has a YouTube channel where she posts similar scripted content.
We also found the original post by Tamanna Kohli which does not make any religious references either in caption or hashtags.
BOOM has reached out to both creators for a response. The article will be updated if we hear back from them.
Click here to see the post and here for archive.