The Mahakumbh Mela, considered to be the world’s largest spiritual gathering, will conclude on Wednesday, February 26. From politicians, business persons to film celebrities, the event in Prayagraj witnessed multiple high profile guests since its commencement on January 13, 2025.
Social media platforms have also been flooded with unverified visuals being linked to the religious congregation, including alleged photos of celebrities taking a holy dip at the Sangam. Newscheker investigated multiple such photos, and found them to be AI generated.
Ajay Devgn & Sanjay Dutt Spotted At Mahakumbh?
A set of two photographs purportedly show Bollywood actors Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt at the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj.
The post can be seen here.
Fact
We did not find any credible reports on the actors’ alleged visit to the Mahakumbh. The extra glossy texture of the images and the blurred background, also raised suspicion of media being AI generated.
We then ran past the photographs on multiple AI detection tools which found them to be generated using Artificial Intelligence. Website wasitai.com, for instance, concluded “We are quite confident that this image, or significant part of it, was created by AI” for both the media.
Another platform, Sightengine also calculated a 99% probability that both the photographs, allegedly showing Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt at the Mahakumbh, were generated using AI.
Preity Zinta Visits Mahakumbh With Australian Cricketer Glenn Maxwell?
Several social media users shared a photograph claiming to show Bollywood actor Preity Zinta posing with Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell at the Mahakumbh.
The post can be seen here.
Fact
Though Preity Zinta recently visited the congregation, we did not find any credible reports of the cricketer accompanying her to Mahakumbh.
We noticed Zinta’s fingers to be deformed in the photo, a telltale sign of media being AI generated.
Following this, we checked the image on multiple AI detection tools which confirmed it to be generated by Artificial Intelligence. Website wasitai.com found, “We are quite confident that this image, or significant part of it, was created by AI.” AI detection platform, Sightengine also concluded the media to be likely deepfake (99%).
Shahrukh Khan’s Selfie Session With American Wrestlers At Mahakumbh?
Users shared two photographs to claim that Shahrukh Khan also visited the festival, and was seen with American wrestlers Roman Reigns and Ronda Rousey.
The post can be seen here.
Fact
We did not find any credible report on Khan’s visit to the event, nor did Roman Reigns and Ronda Rousey arrive at the Kumbh.
These images were also found to be AI generated by multiple detection platforms. Tool wasitai.com, for instance, termed both the images, or significant part of them, to be created using AI.
Website Is It AI? Found the first media to be highly likely AI generated (80%), and platform Sightengine calculated a 98% probability of the second photo to be AI generated.
Allu Arjun Visits Prayagraj With Sunny Leone?
In yet another instance, a set of images purportedly showing Pushpa fame Allu Arjun with Sunny Leone at Prayagraj was shared online.
The post can be seen here.
Fact
We observed that images had the telltale signs of an AI media – glossy texture, and blurred background. We checked the photos on multiple AI detection tools which showed a high probability of them being AI generated.
Website Hive Moderation found 97.4% likelihood that image 1 contains AI-generated or deepfake content. It calculated 98.4% probability of image 2 containing the AI-generated or deepfake content as well. Sightengine also found a 99% probability of the image 1 being AI generated.
The Rock At Mahakumbh?
A photo purportedly showing American actor and wrestler Dwayne Johnson with Roman Reigns at the Kumbhmela has also surfaced online.
The post can be seen here.
Fact
The extra glossy texture of the image and blurred background pointed towards the image being an AI product. Further, we also noticed the watermark of GROK, X’s AI assistant, on the bottom right corner of the image.
We ran past the image on AI detection tool Hive Moderation, which concluded a 99.1% likelihood that the media contains AI-generated or deepfake content.
Neeraj Chopra In A Pool With Nora Fatehi?
Another set of images showing Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra with actor Nora Fatehi in a pool have also surfaced on social media platforms.
The post can be seen here.
Fact
We spotted the watermark of X’s AI assistant GROK at the bottom right corner of the images purportedly showing Chopra with the actress.
Moreover, AI detection tools also concluded that the images were created using Artificial Intelligence. Hive moderation found a high likelihood of images (97.9% and 78%) containing AI-generated or deepfake content.
Another AI detection tool, Sightengine found a 99% probability of both the media being AI generated.
Mahakumbh: AI Misinformation Explodes
Over the duration of Mahakumbh, Newschecker has debunked multiple instances of such AI generated media showing celebrities at the religious congregation. An AI generated photo of Amitabh Bachchan with Rekha in the Mahakumbh had earlier gone viral, and users also passed off AI generated photo Prakash Raj, purportedly taking a holy dip at Sangam, as real.
An AI generated video showing AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi at the Mahakumbh was also shared as an actual incident. Several social media users also posted an AI generated video claiming to show a 100-feet long snake at the festival.
Following the Kumbh stampede, an AI generated photo went viral to falsely show a letter written by Bageshwar Dham Chief Dhirendra Shastri predicting the tragic incident. In another instance, an AI generated image was shared to falsely claim that a terrorist, who was impersonating a monk, was arrested from the festival.
UPDATE ON 04/03/2025
Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma Take Holy Dip At Mahakumbh?
Claim
A set of images claiming to show Indian cricketer Virat Kohli and his actor-producer wife, Anushka Sharma, taking a dip during the Mahakumbh Mela.
Fact
Newschecker noticed the lack of detail in the background along with the glossy texture, suggesting that the images were AI-generated.
Image 1
We ran the image past Hive Moderation, which found the image to be “99.6% likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content”. SightEngine found a 72% probability of the image being AI-generated.
Image 2
We ran the image past Hive Moderation, which found the image to be “91.9% likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content”. Fake Image Detector found the image to be computer-generated or modified.
Sources
Hive moderation Website
Sightengine Website
wasitai.com
Fake Image Detector
