Media outlets circulate scripted scene by Indian content creators as real
Several news outlets in the country have published reports claiming that a boyfriend married his girlfriend suffering from cancer at the hospital, knowing she wouldn’t survive much longer. However, Dismislab’s fact-check found that the video is not a true event but part of a scripted content series.
Verification revealed that the people in the scene are actually two content creators from India. The videos of them circulating on social media are essentially scenes from a scripted drama series.
The report about the cancer-ridden girlfriend was published on June 2 by several online outlets, including News Twenty-Four, Newsflash 71, and Bangla TV. The reports were published on the outlets’ Facebook pages and YouTube channels. News24’s report shows a young woman lying in a hospital bed in patient clothing, crying. A young man beside her wraps a red scarf around her, applies vermilion (sindoor), and marries her right there in the hospital.
According to the reports, Dilip and Anamika had been in a relationship for four years. But when Anamika’s health suddenly deteriorated and she was taken to the hospital, doctors informed them that she had cancer and had reached its final stage — there was almost no chance of survival. Anamika’s last wish was to become Dilip’s bride. To fulfill his girlfriend’s last wish, Dilip turned the hospital bed into a wedding venue. Without any grand arrangement or wedding music, he recited the vows himself, dressed Anamika in a red bridal saree, and married her, putting sindoor on her forehead.
As of the writing of this report, the news outlet’s report had been viewed more than 326,000 times and shared over 730 times. The other outlets carried the same information. However, at the time of writing this report, Bangla TV’s report was found to have been taken down.
The video and screenshots of it have also been circulated with the same claim on multiple social media accounts in India (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
To verify the claim, a reverse image search was conducted using multiple keyframes from the video. Dismislab first came across a video posted on May 28 this year by a Facebook page named Anamika Singh. The scenes in this video exactly match those in the media reports. Observing the page further, it was found that she had uploaded a series of follow-up videos with the same scene and the same clothing from May 28 to June 4.
On Anamika Singh’s Instagram account too, some videos of the same scene were found posted since May 27. Verification showed this is an account operated from India. The account’s bio states that she is an actress who turns moments into stories.
In several of her videos, this actress tagged a person named Dilip Kumar Pandey. Checking Dilip Kumar Pandey’s Instagram account revealed that he is the young man seen with Anamika Singh in the hospital. Dilip Kumar Pandey is also an actor and content creator.
Reviewing the Facebook and Instagram accounts of these two content creators shows that they have been creating this drama series through numerous videos (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) filmed together in various contexts over time.
In other words, the claim that a boyfriend set an example by marrying his cancer-stricken girlfriend despite knowing she wouldn’t survive long is not accurate. This is a scene from a drama series created by two Indian actors and content creators.
Previously as well, media outlets have published reports after being misled by scripted scenes from such content creators, as covered in a Dismislab fact-check report.
