PeakMetrics / Fact Checks
Culture & entertainment fact checks
Explore claims publishers have checked about culture & entertainment. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.
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Search by text or image3,169 published reviews in this topic
Claim video of Naseruddin Shah's brother Rizwan Ahmed
Publisher’s rating: FALSE
Claim: Actress Manjula passes away
Publisher’s rating: Fact Crescendo Rating: False Headline
The review examined a Facebook post headed “Actress Manjula dies.” It reports that Manjula had died in 2013 and says the post used a photograph taken at her funeral. The review therefore identifies the death as an old event presented as though it had just happened, rather than a new death.
Claim video of Naseeruddin Shah's brother Rizwan Ahmed
Publisher’s rating: FALSE
Claim: I am not Savarkar to ask sorry, says Rajini
Publisher’s rating: Fact Crescendo Rating: False
The viral card attributed a specific statement to actor Rajinikanth: that he would not fall at someone’s feet and apologize like Savarkar, and did not need to live disgracefully like Savarkar. The review places the card amid controversy over Rajinikanth’s remarks about Periyar at the 50th-anniversary event of the Thuglak magazine. It says some people called for an apology and announced a protest outside his home. In that setting, Rajinikanth spoke to reporters gathered outside his home on January 21; the review reports that he said what he had said was correct and that he could not apologize, not that he would not apologize like Savarkar. (S1: “மிரட்டிய உடன் காலில் விழுந்து மன்னிப்பு கேட்க நான் ஒன்றும் சாவர்க்கர் கிடையாது”; “தந்தை பெரியார் பற்றி துக்ளக் பத்திரிகையின் 50ஆவது ஆண்டு விழாவில் நடிகர் ரஜினிகாந்த் பேசியது சர்ச்சையை ஏற்படுத்தியது.”; “கடந்த 21ம் தேதி ரஜினிகாந்த் பேட்டி அளித்தார்.”) The review describes checking the card’s appearance and content, locating the original News7 Tamil card about the interview on the channel’s Facebook page, and sending the disputed image to a News7 Tamil social-media administrator. It reports that the administrator said the viral card was fake. The original card attributed to Rajinikanth a narrower statement: he would not apologize for his remarks at the Thuglak event because he had described what happened. The review says the viral card’s added Savarkar passage appeared to have been inserted into the original design. (S1: “தமிழ் ஃபாண்ட், டிசைனில் வேறுபாடு தெரிந்தது.”; “கடந்த ஜனவரி 21-ம் தேதி ரஜினிகாந்த் பேட்டி தொடர்பாக வெளியான நியூஸ் கார்டு கிடைத்தது.”; “அதில், ‘துக்ளக் விழாவில் பெரியார் குறித்து இல்லாததை சொல்லவில்லை; நடந்தவை தான் கூறினேன். துக்ளக் விழாவில் பேசியது குறித்து மன்னிப்பு கேட்க மாட்டேன்’ என்று ரஜினிகாந்த் கூறியதாக அதில் குறிப்பிடப்பட்டு இருந்தனர்.”; “இந்த நியூஸ் கார்டு போலியானது என்று நியூஸ் 7 தமிழ் சமூக ஊடகப் பிரிவு நிர்வாகி நம்மிடம் கூறினார்.”) The review also says it searched for video of the interview and found a full version published by Thanthi TV. According to the review, Rajinikanth says in that video that what he said was right and therefore he could not say sorry or apologize; the review states that he does not say he would refuse to apologize like Savarkar. It concludes that the viral card was edited and that the post attributing the longer statement to him was false. (S1: “தந்தி தொலைக்காட்சி வெளியிட்ட ரஜினியின் பேட்டி முழு வீடியோ நமக்கு கிடைத்தது.”; “அதில் எந்த இடத்திலும் ரஜினி சாவர்க்கர் போல மன்னிப்பு கேட்க முடியாது என்று கூறவில்லை.”; “இந்த ஆதாரங்கள் அடிப்படையில், ‘மன்னிப்பு கேட்க முடியாது ரஜினிகாந்த் அதிரடி! மிரட்டிய உடன் காலில் விழுந்து மன்னிப்பு கேட்க நான் ஒன்றும் சாவர்க்கர் கிடையாது. சாவர்க்கரை போல் ஈனப் பிழைப்பு பிழைக்க வேண்டிய அவசியம் எனக்கு இல்லை’ என்று ரஜினிகாந்த் கூறியதாக பகிரப்படும் நியூஸ் கார்டு போலியானது என்று உறுதி செய்யப்படுகிறது.”)
Claim: Actor Ajith criticized BJP
Publisher’s rating: Fact Crescendo Rating: False
The review investigates a News7 Tamil-branded card shared in January 2020 that attributed to actor Ajith a statement that his true fans would not join the BJP. It reports that the card was circulated amid discussion of Ajith fans joining the party in Tiruppur and of comments by then Tamil Nadu BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan. The review says the card itself claimed to have been published on January 21, 2019, but appeared unlike News7 Tamil’s usual cards in its font and design.
Claim: Actor Rajinikanth passes away
Publisher’s rating: Fact Crescendo Rating: False
The review examined a viral Facebook post asserting that actor Rajinikanth had died suddenly. It describes the post as being shared amid public controversy over Rajinikanth’s remarks about Periyar at a Thuglak magazine event and his subsequent refusal to apologize. The review says that criticism of him on social media had also included rumors of his death; it does not present those political disputes as evidence that the death claim was true. (S1) To check the claim, the publisher says it asked people in Rajinikanth’s close circle about it. Those people said he was well and suggested that the rumor was being spread deliberately because of political dissatisfaction with him. The excerpt does not name those contacts or describe independent confirmation, such as a direct statement from Rajinikanth or his representatives. (S1) On the evidence described, the review concluded that the Facebook post was false. Its account supports that conclusion with the reported inquiry and the close contacts’ response, while leaving the identities of those contacts and details of the inquiry unspecified. (S1)
Man in the video is Naseeruddin Shah's brother Rizwan Ahmed
Publisher’s rating: FALSE
Eli, la concursante de Operación Triunfo, tiene nuevo Instagram
Publisher’s rating: Falso
The claim concerns Instagram accounts appearing to be a new official profile for Eli, a contestant on Operación Triunfo. The review says several such accounts appeared and presented themselves as her new profile after her original account was removed. It identifies the accounts as false, rather than as a replacement account created by Eli or the program. (S1: “En las últimas horas de este miércoles han aparecido varias cuentas en Instagram con publicaciones en las que se asegura que son el nuevo perfil oficial de Eli, una de las concursantes del programa de televisión Operación Triunfo, cuya cuenta real fue eliminada ayer por parte de la plataforma. Sin embargo, estas cuentas ‘nuevas’ son falsas.”) The review reports that both Eli’s account, soy_eliot2020, and Jesús’s account, soy_jesusot2020, had been removed by Facebook, Instagram’s owner. Gestmusic, the program’s producer, told Newtral that the accounts had been removed automatically, that no new account had been created, and that they were waiting for the platform to restore the original accounts. This directly distinguishes the removal of an account from the creation of a legitimate replacement. (S1: “Este martes la cuenta de esta concursante del reality (soy_eliot2020) y la de Jesús (soy_jesusot2020) fueron eliminadas por Facebook (propietaria de Instagram) y Gestmusic, productora del programa de televisión que emite RTVE, ha explicado a newtral.es que estas cuentas fueron eliminadas automáticamente y que no se ha creado ninguna nueva, sino que están a la espera de que la plataforma restablezca las mismas.”) The review also describes lookalike usernames, including soyeliot2020 and soyeliot2020_, which posted a message claiming to be Eli’s new account. It notes that some posts used the name of Belena, the talent program’s digital manager. Those details help explain how the false profiles could appear credible, but the review’s account of Gestmusic’s statement is that no new account had been created. (S1: “Las cuentas que han aparecido en Instagram tienen nombres similares a la oficial, como soyeliot2020 o soyeliot2020_ y han publicado un post en el que se asegura que ‘Hemos tenido problemas con la cuenta de Instagram de Eli. Esta es su nueva cuenta’. De hecho, algunas de estas publicaciones llevan el nombre de Belena, la digital manager del talent”)
Claim: Actor Goundamani passes away
Publisher’s rating: Fact Crescendo Rating: False
Fact Crescendo examined a Facebook post claiming that actor Goundamani had died of a heart attack. The review reports that the image in the post was from actress Manjula Vijayakumar’s funeral and says Goundamani’s associates confirmed he was well. It concludes that the post was false. (S1)
Claim: Yesudas grand daughter Ameya singing harivarasanam
Publisher’s rating: Fact Crescendo Rating: False
Claim: Actress Jayashree working as a cook in USA
Publisher’s rating: Fact Crescendo Rating: Partly False
The review examined a social-media post claiming that actress Jayashree was doing cooking work in the United States. The post used a sensational headline and circled a person in a red T-shirt as Jayashree. The review says the article behind the post described someone who had lived in America for more than 30 years and volunteered at a government-run shelter, but did not say she worked there as a cook: “அமெரிக்காவில் அவர் சமையல் செய்கிறார் என்று எதையும் குறிப்பிடாமல் தன்னார்வலராக பணியாற்றி வருகிறார் என்று மட்டுமே குறிப்பிட்டிருந்தனர்.” To check Jayashree’s work and the image, the review reports searching for coverage of her life and employment, and finding both a Behindwoods report and an earlier Vikatan report. It says the Behindwoods report described her as a senior officer at the US branch of a France-based bank. Vikatan, as quoted in the review, said Jayashree had completed a master’s degree in the US, worked for more than 20 years in an IT company, and was then a project manager; she also volunteered at the shelter. The review quotes Vikatan’s account: “20 ஆண்டுகளுக்கும் மேலாக ஐ.டி நிறுவனத்தில் பணியாற்றிவருகிறார். தற்போது புராஜெக்ட் மேனேஜராக வேலை செய்துவருகிறார்.” The review also compared the photographs: it says Vikatan showed Jayashree cooking in a separate image, while the post’s circled person in the red T-shirt was someone else. It concludes that Jayashree was not working as a cook in the US and that the image identification was wrong. The misleading post had taken the shelter-volunteering account and image and presented them in a way that supported a false impression about her employment and identity. The review therefore characterized the post as mixing true and false information.
Claim: Actor Ajith met director Mohan
Publisher’s rating: Fact Crescendo Rating: False
The claim concerned a social-media post saying that actor Ajith had called and congratulated Mohan G Kshatriyan, director of Draupathi. The post included a photograph of the two men. Fact Crescendo says the post was shared by LG Segar on January 12, 2020, and that the image and accompanying claim circulated widely. The review notes that some people considered the story plausible because Draupathi actor Richard is Shalini’s brother, but that connection did not establish that Ajith had congratulated Mohan. To check the claim, the review contacted the director’s side and then examined Mohan’s Twitter account. It reports finding a denial posted on January 13, 2020: Mohan said Ajith had not congratulated him about Draupathi and explained that the circulating picture was taken five years earlier, when he met Ajith as a fan. Thus, the image did not document the alleged call or congratulations; it was an older photograph from a different occasion. The review also mentions a January 13 report by Hindu Tamil Thisai, which it says relied on Mohan’s Twitter post. On the evidence presented, the central support for rejecting the claim is the director’s own denial and his explanation of the photograph’s provenance. Fact Crescendo concludes that the post’s claim was false.
Claim: News 18 channel news card on Pongal holiday
Publisher’s rating: Fact Crescendo Rating: Partly False
The review examined a Facebook post that attributed to News18 a claim that the central government had announced Pongal holidays were not compulsory. It says the post reused a News18 card and added a political message, leading readers to treat the card as current. The investigation’s central finding was about the card’s age: the review reports that a date visible on the card showed it had been published in 2017, although it was being circulated as if it concerned the current situation.
Texto titulado “Indecentes” escrito por Pérez Reverte
Publisher’s rating: Falso
Newtral examined the widely shared text titled “Indecentes,” which had been attributed to writer Arturo Pérez-Reverte. The review says he was not its author and cites his own 2018 denial: he wrote, “No es mío” (“It isn’t mine”), and objected to being associated with the text’s “casposa” wording. The text begins by asking the government to make banks repay public money given to them. Newtral reports that it had circulated under Pérez-Reverte’s name for at least seven years; the attribution, rather than the text’s argument about banks, is the claim the review checks.
ಅಪರಾಧಿಗಳ ಹೆಸರನ್ನು ‘ಚಪಾಕ್’ಚಲನಚಿತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿಂದೂ ಹೆಸರಾಗಿ (‘ರಾಜೇಶ್ / ರಾಕೇಶ್’) ಬದಲಾಯಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ.
Publisher’s rating: FALSE
Claim: Fake news on Draupathi movie director Mohan
Publisher’s rating: Fact Crescendo Rating: False
The claim concerned an Asianet Tamil report saying that Draupathi director Mohan had said he did not want to make films like Draupathi in future. The review describes the report as claiming that Mohan based the film on real events in places where he had lived and no longer wanted to make similar films. It places the report amid the controversy following the film’s trailer, which was released online on January 3, 2020. (The review says: “கடந்த ஜனவரி 3, 2020 அன்று, திரௌபதி எனும் தமிழ்ப் படத்தின் டிரெய்லர் இணையத்தில் வெளியிடப்பட்டது.”)
दीपिका पादुकोण की फिल्म 'छपाक' में एसिड अटैकर का धर्म बदला गया
Publisher’s rating: FALSE