Viral video of old woman in well was stunt by Kerala film director

india

Updated: Mar 16, 2018 22:13 IST

A video of an old woman falling into a well while trying to draw water went viral on social media, notching 15 lakh hits in three days.

What netizens found even more shocking was the fact that the person responsible for shooting the tragic incident and posting it on social media was her own grandchild who was playing in the vicinity.

Soon, the video was being forwarded furiously amid largescale condemnation. While some said the woman died on the spot, others opined that it was vile of the child to shoot the incident instead of alerting others to his grandmother’s misfortune. Many wrote obits lamenting the selfie culture that had apparently overtaken the country.

As it turned out, this was just the first part of the story.

The second unfolded with small-time film director K Radhakrishan giving a press conference along with the ‘dead’ woman – Rajalakshmi Amma – at the Palakkad Press Club. Understandably, it took a while for his audience to realise that they have been had.

The director said he posted the clip on the social media three days ago just to prove how people are being fooled by fake videos. The fictional video, he contended, was taken as part of his ongoing cinematic project ‘Veembu’.

“It came as a big shock for me. The video went viral in no time, but – sadly – nobody bothered to verify its origin or authenticity. People who watched the clip forwarded it almost immediately. I just wanted to show how spurious videos of this kind are going viral on the social media,” Radhakrishan said.

He had posted the video online at the insistence of some friends who believed it would help gauge the public mood.

“I am no geek, but we should not fall prey to such videos,” said Rajalakshmi Amma, taking a dig at youngsters who are always hooked to their mobile phones and other new-age gadgets. She also criticised youngsters who talk or listen to music on their mobile phones while crossing busy intersections.

The police, however, were far from impressed. A senior officer working with the state cyber department said they will examine the video in detail and explore possibilities of booking the director under relevant IT laws.

Radhakrishnan – meanwhile – has denied allegations from certain quarters of the cyber police that he had played the “dirty trick” only to publicise his upcoming movie. “I did it for a cause,” he said.