Actor Manoj Bajpayee Refutes Political Endorsement in Viral Video Ahead of Bihar Polls

Padma Shri awardee and celebrated actor Manoj Bajpayee has vehemently denounced a doctored video circulating on social media that falsely suggests his endorsement of a political party ahead of the upcoming Bihar elections. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the actor issued a strong clarification, urging the public to stop the circulation of the “misleading, fake” content.

Bajpayee, a native of Bihar, confirmed that the video clip is a manipulative edit of an older, non-political advertisement he had previously filmed for an Over-The-Top (OTT) streaming platform. The clip was allegedly “patched-up” and edited in a manner that made it appear to deliver a political message, fueling rumours of his political allegiance.

In his public statement, the four-time National Award-winning actor asserted, “I would like to publicly state that I have no association or allegiance with any political party. The video being circulated is a fake, patched-up edit of an ad I did for @PrimeVideoIN. I sincerely appeal to everyone sharing it to stop spreading such distorted content and urge people not to engage with or encourage such misleading content.”

The edited video, which had been gaining traction on social media, particularly in the run-up to the high-voltage Bihar Assembly elections, sparked an immediate political controversy. The actor’s swift and firm response aimed to quash the misinformation before it could further influence public discourse. Reports indicated that a political party’s IT cell had circulated the clip, which was subsequently deleted after the actor’s clarification.

The incident underscores the growing threat of deepfakes and deceptive editing in the digital age, particularly during sensitive electoral periods. It brings to light the challenges public figures face in protecting their image and personality rights from unauthorized and misleading usage. Bajpayee’s decision to publicly call out the fake video is seen as a crucial step in maintaining his non-partisan stand and integrity. His appeal highlights the civic responsibility of social media users to verify content before sharing it and to discourage the proliferation of manipulative media in political campaigns.