A video featuring Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev seemingly getting kidnapped has stirred up a storm on social media. In the footage, the famed cricketer appears bound and gagged. Let’s fact-check this claim.
Claim: Visuals of former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev being getting kidnapped.
Fact: The video in question is behind-the-scenes footage from an advertisement film. Kapil Dev was not actually kidnapped. Hence, the claim is False.
In order to decipher the origins of the viral video, a basic keyword search was performed on the internet. Numerous sources emerged, revealing that the video was part of a behind-the-scenes glimpse into an ad film and Kapil Dev was not actually abducted.
Two tweets from former cricketer Gautam Gambhir were crucial in revealing the truth. In his first tweet, he shared the video expressing concern for Kapil Dev, writing, “Anyone else received this clip, too? Hope it’s not actually @therealkapildev and that Kapil Paaji is fine!”.
Subsequently, he posted another tweet unveiling that the video was part of an ad film made for Disney+Hotstar in the lead-up to the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, saying, “Areh @therealkapildev paaji well played! Acting ka World Cup 🏆 bhi aap hi jeetoge! Ab hamesha yaad rahega ki ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is free on @DisneyPlusHS mobile.”
Further research uncovered that a creative agency named Manja produced the ad film. Manja’s CEO, Arvind Krishnan, also confirmed this by sharing a news article about the film on his Twitter account.
To sum up, the video of Kapil Dev being ‘kidnapped’ being shared on social media is a behind-the-scenes clip from an ad film for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
