FACT CHECK: Is actor Manoj Bajpayee joining RJD ahead of Bihar elections?

Speculations were rife on Thursday that Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee would make his political debut and that he would be joining the RJD. A video surfaced showing him endorsing a political party. The footage went viral and was even shared by a handle using the name of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

However, the actor himself came to the fore against the video, saying it was a clip from an advertisement he did for Prime Video years ago. Sharing the link to the video on his X handle, Bajpayee wrote: “I want to publicly state that I  have no affiliation with or allegiance to any political party. The video being circulated is a fake and patched-edited advertisement I did for Prime Video."

He also urged people to stop sharing the distorted content and not to encourage such misleading content.  

His clarification also triggered debates on deep fakes and personal rights. One user wrote, "I'm glad you clarified this. People should confirm before believing such edited clips, but I would definitely like to say that this video was not posted from the real X account."

Another user highlighted the recent trend wherein celebrities were approaching the courts to protect their personal rights. "It's time to follow in the footsteps of Akshay, Abhishek, and Aishwarya; trademark that face and voice," the user added.

Bajpayee hails from Belwa in West Champaran, Bihar.  He has earlier spoken about how people from Bihar are treated badly in the rest of the country. He said some people still have a stereotypical view of their counterparts from Bihar, whom they consider to be less intelligent, and said this regional mindset only exposed their narrowness.

India