No, Indian filmmaker Anubhav Sinha did not say 'Hindus started terrorism'

What is the claim?

A 38-second video of Indian filmmaker Anubhav Sinha has gone viral, accompanied by the claim that he said, "Terrorism was started by Hindus." In the clip, Sinha is seen seated alongside Bollywood actors Taapsee Pannu and Rajat Kapoor at what appears to be a press conference.

In the video, Sinha, speaking in Hindi, says (translated), "It will take some time; I can't explain it in a press conference... Do you know who started terrorism? When was the word 'terrorism' first used? For your knowledge, Muslims did not start terrorism." The video then abruptly transitions to a meme clip featuring a group of men giving a slow clap.

On X (formerly Twitter), the video was shared with captions such as, "Terrorism was started by Hindus. Terrorism was not started by Muslims. Bollywood for you!" Some posts even tagged his X account. Archived versions of these posts can be found here, here, here, and here.

Screenshot of the viral X posts. (Source: Screenshot/X/Modifed by Logically Facts)

However, the full version of the clip clearly shows that Sinha did not claim Hindus started terrorism; he only stated that Muslims did not.

What we found

A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to a report by The Times of India from July 2018, featuring a similar version of the video with Sinha, Pannu, and Kapoor in the same attire. The report covered the trailer launch of the movie 'Mulk', where Sinha, Pannu, and Indian film producer Deepak Mukut were seen answering journalists' questions. Mulk, released in August 2018, is an Indian legal drama written, produced, and directed by Sinha. 

Following this lead and noting the 'Viral Bollywood' logo visible in the viral clips, we located the full video (archived here) on the 'Viral Bollywood' YouTube channel, uploaded on July 9, 2018, with the caption, 'UNCUT - MULK Official Trailer Launch | Rishi Kapoor, Taapsee Pannu | Anubhav Sinha.'

The video, running approximately 46 minutes and 32 seconds, starts with Sinha speaking. About 16 minutes in, he invites Pannu, Deepak, and Kapoor to the stage, after which journalists begin asking questions. The viral segment appears following this.

At 40 minutes and 50 seconds, a journalist asks Sinha why some Muslim youth are turning to terrorism, referencing a "tweet from Hizbul Mujahideen" (a radical Islamist militant group). Sinha responds, "Do you read the news or watch TV? Yesterday, two ministers from your nation honored Hindus involved in riots. Did you read that? That answers your question."

When pressed further, Sinha clarifies, in a portion of the clip matching the viral segment. He says (translated from Hindi), "History needs to be studied, friend; some geography needs to be studied. It will take some time; I can't explain it in a press conference... Do you know who started terrorism? When was the word 'terrorism' first used? Please tell me. For your knowledge, let me tell you, Muslims did not start terrorism. Read history."

The event concludes with a photo session. Our review of the full video confirms that Sinha did not claim 'Hindus started terrorism.'

Thus, the viral video is a clipped version of the full footage. Sinha's comments only address that Muslims did not start terrorism and make no claims about Hindus starting it.

Context

The viral video gained traction amid controversy over Sinha's latest project, the Netflix series 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack.' Some social media users falsely claimed the series misrepresented the religious identities of the five terrorists who hijacked the Indian Airlines flight in 1999. The show used aliases for the hijackers, as noted by Logically Facts. Netflix has since added a disclaimer specifying the real names of the perpetrators.

The verdict

A clipped video of Indian filmmaker Anubhav Sinha from a 2018 movie trailer launch has been shared with a false claim that he said, "Terrorism was started by Hindus." While Sinha did state that terrorism was not started by Muslims, he never claimed that Hindus started it.