Fact Check: Viral video does not feature Waheeda Rahman dancing to a Bollywood song

A video of a woman dancing to an old Bollywood song, Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai, is viral on social media, with users claiming that it features veteran actor Waheeda Rehman.

A Facebook user shared the video with the caption, “At her age of 85, Waheeda Rehman is dancing with the same grace and elegance.”

Several Facebook users have shared the video claiming the same.

The claim comes amid veteran actor Waheeda Rehman being chosen as the recipient of the 53rd Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest film honour.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found it does not feature Waheeda Rehman. It shows Sunila Ashok, a teacher who became a dancer after retirement.

On performing a reverse image search of the keyframes of the video, we found it uploaded on a YouTube Channel, Mayookha, dated January 2, 2022. The video is titled “Mayookha - Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai (Dance Cover).”

In the description, it is mentioned that Anoushka Sachdeva choreographed the dance.

In the About section, the channel owner identifies herself as Sunila Ashok, who celebrates eternal and enduring beauty, elegance and grace through dance.

Further, we found the video posted on Ashok’s Instagram account on September 26, clarifying that she had been misidentified as Waheeda Rehman in the video. She also wrote that she feels “incredibly honoured to be compared with the veteran actor.”

We also found a video of a reality show called “Superstar after Retirement by Bajaj Allianz Life” on Ashok’s Instagram account. She features in the video and talks about how she resumed dancing after retiring from her teaching job.

Hence, we conclude that the viral video does not show Waheeda Rahman dancing to the Hindi song “Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai”. The claim is false.