On July 20, the day the CJP-led ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest-march saw clashes between youth protesters and security personnel in Delhi, News18 published a report at 10 pm titled, ‘Naseeruddin Shah Reaches Jantar Mantar With Sons Imaad, Vivaan Amid CJP Protest’. The report was based on a viral clip being circulated on social media showing Naseeruddin Shah, standing in the midst of a crowd along with his son Vivaan Shah. It was claimed that the footage showed Shah and his sons at the Jantar Mantar protest. (Archive)
The viral video was shared on Instagram by user @badlaw.news on the same day with the same claim. The video garnered over 1 million likes and was shared over 56,000 times. The caption, translated from Hindi, read, “Naseeruddin Shah and his sons, Imaad and Vivaan, reached Jantar Mantar, and thoughtfully looked at the crowd and chaos.”
View this post on Instagram
The same clip was amplified by user @LakhanmeenaIND on X. The post said “Amidst the ongoing student movement at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, Naseeruddin Shah arrived with his sons Imad and Vivan Shah…” [Archive]
दिल्ली के जंतर-मंतर पर चल रहे छात्र आंदोलन के बीच नसीरुद्दीन शाह अपने बेटों इमाद और विवान शाह के साथ पहुंचे।
उन्होंने कोई सार्वजनिक बयान नहीं दिया, बस शांत भाव से खंभे के सहारे खड़े होकर प्रदर्शन देखा।
पुलिस कार्रवाई के बाद बिखरते छात्रों को भी गंभीरता से देखा। उनकी मौजूदगी ने… pic.twitter.com/Ogg2XJ8k2Q
— Lakhan meena (@LakhanmeenaIND) July 20, 2026
Several other users across social media platforms — @bekhayalime on X, @bhim_chetna and @pradesh_ki_baatein on Instagram, for example — shared the clip.
Fact Check
To begin with, we performed a keyword search to check if the ‘news’ of Naseeruddin Shah’s visit to Jantar Mantar was shared from any verified source. Except for the above-mentioned News18 report, we could not find any.
We noted the several users had pointed out in comments that the video appeared to be from outside Regal Cinema in Mumbai, and not at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, .
A keyword search led us to a longer version of the video posted six days ago, July 15, on Instagram by user Rajesh Gaur. This proves is not from the July 20 Jantar Mantar protest.
View this post on Instagram
The full video is a selfie which first shows Shah standing next to his son Vivaan Shah, and then pans to the one who takes the video, and finally pans the camera [at the 0:37 timestamp] to show the exact location where the video was shot, which is outside Regal Cinema at Colaba Causeway in Mumbai. The video was seemingly taken after the screening of the Bollywood film ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh Do’ with audiences exiting the theatre.
Readers should also note that the clip does not show Shah’s elder son, Imaad Shah, as is being claimed by social media users.
Alt News reached out to the actor’s son, Vivaan Shah, who clarified, “My father wanted to go to Jantar Mantar for the protests but was unable to because of prior commitments for a shoot in Chennai. We are very much in support of the students’ movement and the protest. We send them strength, support and solidarity. However, the video that is being circulated was from a screening at Regal cinema in Mumbai.”
To sum up, the video that is being circulated as Naseeruddin Shah’s visit to the CJP dharna at Jantar Mantar is actually from Mumbai. As of July 22, Shah has not been to the protest site in Delhi. Besides, contrary to viral claims, Shah’s son Imaad Shah is not in the clip.
Incidentally, on July 22, Naseeruddin Shah put out a video on Instagram supporting the youth protest in Delhi and condemning police atrocities on them.
