Fact-Check: False Claims About Sai Pallavi Being a Muslim Goes Viral

(Archives of similar claims can be seen here and here.)

The truth is different: These claims are not true.

• Pallavi practices Hindu religion. Images showing her in a burqa are from 2021 when she went to the theatre to watch her own movie in a disguise.

• The third photo of her wearing covering her head was clicked in Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.

How did we find out the truth?: We did not find any article where Sai Pallavi accepts that she is a Muslim.

• We then performed a relevant keyword search on Google using 'Sai Pallavi wear burqa', which led us to reports from 2021.

• An article by India Today stated that she wore a burqa to watch her film Shyam Singha Roy in theatres with her fans.

• The report also carried a video showing Pallavi in a burqa entering the theatre and then watching the film.

• This was shared by an account named 'filmy_ka_adda' on Instagram.

• For the third image, we performed a keyword search using 'Sai Pallavi visits mosque', and this led us to a report shared by Times of India.

• The web story compiled the actor's images from her trip to Kashmir.

• Taking a cue, we checked Pallavi's Instagram and found the same image of her standing near a mosque which was shared on 13 July 2023.

• It showed her standing near Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, where everyone has to cover their head while entering.

• The caption did not specify anything about her changing her religion to Islam.

We also could not find any evidence online to prove that Pallavi was a Muslim.

Conclusion: False claims about actor Sai Pallavi being a Muslim goes viral.

We have also reached out to the actor's team for a comment and the story would be updated once we receive a response from them.

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