Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Famous novelist Paulo Coelho shared what appears to be CCTV footage showing two school children helping a handicapped man fix his tricycle with the caption “Two boys from India to brighten your complicated day”, on his official Twitter account believing it to be authentic. The tweet garnered huge traction with over 18,000 retweets and 83,000 likes within 20 hours of posting and interactions are increasing every second. However, Newschecker has found that the video is scripted and dramatised.
The two-minute long video shows a handicapped man struggling to fix his tricycle and seeking help from passersby on a busy road when two boys in school uniform walk past him only to return and help the former fix the tricycle. The duo repair the broken chain and help the handicapped man climb up his ride.
The video ends with the subtitles, “ The man thanked the boys and left.” The time stamp on the bottom right corner of the frame suggests that the video was captured on January 21, 2022.
We scanned the comments section of the tweet and found several users ‘taking pride’ in India and its culture. Meanwhile, one user also gave a lesson to Paulo Coelho that how the handicapped man’s “hand gesture” as a “blessing.” Adding, “That’s normal in India, elders always bless younger – this is our culture.”
Fact Check/Verification
To verify the authenticity of the video, Newschecker conducted Google reverse image search by using keyframes of the clip and found a longer version of the video was posted on LinkedIn by user D. Sagar Gupta. In the end of the video we found a disclaimer saying that the video is only of “educational and entertainment” purpose.
We continued our investigation and found that the video was posted on the official page of actress Sanjjanaa Galrani on February 15, 2022 with the caption “Good Parenting.” She had posted the video with the disclaimer, “Thank you for watching! Please be aware that this page features scripted dramas and parodies as well. These short films are for entertainment & educational purposes only!”
Galrani posted a longer version of the clip and in the end of it we found a disclaimer telling people that it’s a scripted video.
We scanned Galrani’s Facebook page and found several scripted videos. Newschecker debunked several such debunked videos shared on the actress’ page. You can check our fact checks here and here.
Another Facebook user ‘Annamrita Foundation Nagpur’ also shared the longer version of the video including the disclaimer in the end.
We also found that the video was uploaded on a YouTube channel called ‘BShorts Adda’ with a caption “Social Awareness.” The channel also featured a Paytm spoof video which Newschecker had debunked in January.
Conclusion
The video of two boys helping a handicapped man fix his tricycle is not authentic and is scripted and dramatised for “entertainment & educational purposes only.”
Result: False Context/Missing Context
Sources
LinkedIn Account Of D. Sagar Gupta
Facebook Page Of Sanjjanaa Galrani
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
