Claim: A video posted by “Pyara Sindh Press Club Tando Allahyar” on Facebook claims to show Pakistani journalist Imran Riaz Khan dancing.
Fact: The man in the video is actually Indian dance choreographer Varun Arora.
On 14 May 2024, a video (archive) surfaced on Facebook showing a middle-aged man dancing energetically. The post by “Pyara Sindh Press Club Tando Allahyar” claimed that the man was well-known Pakistani journalist Imran Riaz Khan. This claim was quickly shared across social media platforms.
Fact or Fiction?
A reverse image search of a screenshot from the video conducted by Soch Fact Check revealed that the man in the video is not Imran Riaz Khan but Indian dance choreographer Varun Arora. The original video was published on Arora’s Instagram page @varun_ent on 10 May 2024, and was viewed more than 600,000 times.
In a side-by-side comparison of the two scenes from both videos, the video posted by “Pyara Sindh Press Club Tando Allahyar” and the other by Varun Arora, it is evident that the dance moves are identical. This visual evidence confirms the video attributed to journalist Imran Riaz Khan is, in fact, that of Varun Arora, the Indian dance choreographer.
Furthermore, the comments on Varun Arora’s video overwhelmingly confirm his identity. Fans recognize him and enthusiastically compliment his dance moves. Notably, no one questions whether it is Varun in the video; instead, they express admiration for his performance. The collective response from fans reinforces the fact that the man dancing is indeed Varun Arora, the Indian choreographer.
Soch Fact Check’s investigation also revealed a pattern where several videos from Varun Arora’s Instagram page have been erroneously attributed to Imran Riaz Khan. We compared the dance sequences, backgrounds, and other visual cues across these videos. The results consistently pointed to Varun Arora as the performer. The comparisons overwhelmingly support the conclusion that these videos indeed feature Varun Arora, not Imran Riaz Khan.
Virality
The post on Facebook has garnered significant attention, with over 677,000 views and 7,800 likes. The claim and video have also spread to YouTube and TikTok, where they have collectively amassed more than 10,000 views and 5,000 likes. The claim has been reproduced with various videos of Varun Arora on Facebook here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here.
Conclusion: The claim made by “Pyara Sindh Press Club Tando Allahyar” is false. The individual in the video is Varun Arora, not Imran Riaz Khan. This incident highlights the importance of verifying the authenticity of content before sharing it on social media platforms.
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Background image in cover photo: Committee to Protect Journalists
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