No, video doesn't show Indian actor and BJP leader Sunny Deol drunk on Mumbai streets

What is the claim?

A video of Indian actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sunny Deol is going viral on social media with the claim that he was spotted inebriated in Mumbai’s Juhu Circle area. The viral video shows Deol walking towards an auto rickshaw. The actor appears unable to walk straight, following which the auto driver asks him to sit inside the vehicle. Deol seems to be able to do so only with the driver’s aid. 

Several users shared the video on X (formerly Twitter), claiming that it showed the BJP parliamentarian drunk on the streets of Mumbai. One such post on X gained over 8,700 views at the time of writing. The text on the video of this post read, “Sunny Deol Drunk?” Sharing the video, another user wrote, “#SunnyDeol seen dancing drunk on the road at night 😂👇👇” “What’s wrong with Sunny Deol?” read another post. Archived versions of these and similar other posts can be viewed here, here, here, here, and here.

Screenshots of viral X posts. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

While sharing the video, some social media users insinuated that this was behavior unbecoming of a member of Parliament. “This is BJP MP Sunny Deol… Neither does he go to his constituency Gurdaspur nor comes to Parliament. Vote wisely next time (sic),” one X post (archived here) read. Deol is a BJP MP from Gurdaspur, a constituency in India’s northern state of Punjab, and was last seen in the Hindi film ‘Gadar 2.’

However, the actor clarified that the footage shows a scene being shot for a film and is not of an actual incident. 

Several other social media users who posted the video slamming him for his alleged irresponsible behavior have since issued clarifications about the context of the clip.

What did we find?

The video caused much speculation on social media, with some anticipating that it would be revealed later as a publicity stunt. 

On December 6, Deol took to X to clarify the matter. He posted behind-the-scenes footage of himself playing a purportedly drunk person. This footage, taken from a different angle, shows him surrounded by several crew members, including many camerapersons. One of them can be heard giving a cue as well. Deol’s post accompanying the video, written in Hindi, translates roughly to, “The journey of rumors is only till here.” He hinted in the caption that the scene is from his upcoming film ‘Safar.’

We compared the viral clip with the video shared by Deol and noticed that he was wearing the same clothes in both. He was also wearing a band on one hand and a watch on the other hand in both videos. This suggests that the clip that went viral was taken during a film shoot, as indicated by Deol’s post.

Image comparison between the viral video and the behind-the-scenes footage shared by Sunny Deol. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

According to a PTI news report published by The Print, the film ‘Safar’ is being made under the banner of Echelon Productions. The report quoted one Vishal Rana, the founder of the production house, clarifying that the viral clip was part of a scene in the upcoming film 'Safar.' Reportedly, Rana said in a statement, “It was a scene from our forthcoming tentatively titled film ‘Safar’ for which Sunny Paaji was shooting a night schedule. Request all the fans not to spread fake news around this video that is going viral on the internet.”

The verdict

A video of actor and politician Sunny Deol filming a scene on a street was shared with the false claim that he was spotted intoxicated in Mumbai’s Juhu area. The actor has cleared the air on the matter and clarified that he was actually shooting for his upcoming film. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.