Recently, a video of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan explaining the true meaning of Jihad in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi went viral on social media.
However, as we investigated, we came to know that the claim was misleading. The viral video is edited. Here’s the fact check.
Fact Check
We started our investigation by taking screenshots from the viral video and conducting a reverse image search. This led us to a video uploaded on a YouTube channel, Kanak News, on 19 October 2019. The caption of the video read, “Shahrukh Khan speaks during PM Narendra Modi’s interaction with members of film fraternity”.
Nowhere in his speech did Shah Rukh Khan mention “Jihad”.
Taking this clue, we conducted a relevant keyword search. This led us to the YouTube channel of Bharatiya Janata Party on 23 October 2019. The caption of the video read, “PM Narendra Modi Meets Film Fraternity To Mark Gandhi’s 150th Birth Anniversary | Behind The Scenes”
From the timestamp 3:21, PM Narendra Modi’s interaction with Shah Rukh Khan can be seen.
Several news reports on the event can be seen here, here and here.
Moving forward, we conducted a relevant keyword search to determine whether Shah Rukh Khan made any remarks on Jihad or not. This led us to a video uploaded on YouTube on 18 April 2025, where Shah Rukh Khan can be heard saying “I belong to the Islamic religion, I am a Muslim. We have a word which has been misused a lot, “Jihad”. The thought process of Jihad is the same, to conquer the evil thought inside us. To kill people outside on the streets is not Jihad.”
The audio matches that of the viral video.
In the description of this YouTube video, the video credit was given to Tejgyan Foundation.
Taking this clue, we conducted a relevant keyword search. This led us to a longer version of the video uploaded on the YouTube channel “Tejgyan” on 17 November 2011. The description of the video read, “Shah Rukh Khan released the book, “The Source: Power of Happy Thoughts”, at Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch, Pune on Monday, 14-11-11 (14 November 2011). Magsaysay award winner and social activist Dr. Prakash Amte and executive committee member of Indian Motion Picture Producer’s Association (IMPPA) Mrs. Farah Sultan Ahmed were also present on this occasion.
“Many books talk about having the right thoughts, but don’t show you how. The uniqueness of this book is that it shows you how to create the right thoughts from inside. The second unique quality of this book is that it shows exactly how to handle the negativities around us by tapping the Source within.” …Shah Rukh Khan…”
From the timestamp 9:30, Shah Rukh Khan’s talk about Jihad, matching the viral video, can be heard.
This makes it clear that the viral video has been edited. The video and the audio are from two different events that have been combined digitally.
Conclusion
From our investigation, we can say that the claim is misleading. Shah Rukh Khan did not talk about the true meaning of Jihad in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Shah Rukh Khan did talk about the true meaning of Jihad, but in a different event. The viral video has been edited where the audio has been taken from a different event.
Title:Edited Video Of Shah Rukh Khan Interacting With Prime Minister Narendra Modi Going Viral.
Fact Check By: Debanjana BaishyaResult: Misleading
