A video featuring All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi, in which he urges Indian filmmakers to make movies about social issues like unemployment rather than provocative films against Muslims, is being circulated online.
The viral posts claim it to be in the context of the recent film Udaipur Files, which depicts the brutal killing of Kanhaiya Lal by two Muslim men.
(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)
Is the claim true?: No, the claim is misleading.
The video dates back to 26 May 2024 and features a speech given by Owaisi in Paliganj, Bihar during the Lok Sabha election campaigning, well before the controversy surrounding Udaipur Files emerged.
What we found: We ran a Google reverse image search that led us to a live video recording from Owaisi’s personal Facebook page.
We found that the video was actually recorded on 26 May 2024, which predates the current controversy on Udaipur Files.
The viral clip begins at the 34:02 minute mark and ends at 34:23 where Owaisi urges filmmakers to stop making films which showcase Muslims in a bad light in India, instead make films about unemployment in the country.
In this same video, 33:00 minutes onwards, Owaisi questioned films such as the Kerala Story and the Kashmir Files, stating that they were made to vilify Muslims and spread the propaganda of Love Jihad - a conspiracy theory popularised by the Indian right-wing.
A YouTube video from Jansatta titled “Asaduddin Owaisi Rally: Owaisi roared in Chandos-Paliganj Patna, attacked PM Modi!” covers the same speech from 2024.
AIMIM on Udaipur Files: A report by ABP News titled noted that AIMIM welcomed the Delhi High Court’s decision to halt the release of The Udaipur Files, calling it a rebuke against BJP-led governments allegedly using the film to stoke communal tensions, and urged Muslims and secular citizens to boycott it peacefully
It also highlighted that despite the film focusing on the 2022 murder of Kanhaiya Lal, while, his family was still awaiting justice nearly three years later.
AIMIM's Rajasthan President Jameel Ahmed Khan urged a complete boycott of the film, calling for social media campaigns to expose hateful agendas.
Conclusion: The claim is misleading as Owaisi's statement is old and unrelated to the recent Udaipur Film controversy.
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