Punjab Kings owner and Bollywood actress Preity Zinta has rejected rumors that she hugged 14-year-old Rajasthan Royals player Vaibhav Suryavanshi in a viral clip that went around social media. She deemed the clip morphed and accused the media of spreading false news without verifying facts.
Rajasthan Royals later posted an official clip of Preity greeting Vaibhav, but without a hug. At the same time, Preity Zinta is gearing for her acting return after seven years with the movie Lahore 1947.
Preity Reacts to Viral Allegations
Following Sunday’s Punjab Kings vs. Rajasthan Royals game, the internet was awash with videos and photos purportedly showing Preity hugging young Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The videos went viral in a matter of minutes and attracted the interest of news channels, generating heated online debates.
Preity went straight to X (formerly Twitter) to confirm that the videos and pictures are morphed. She was surprised that news channels disseminated doctored content as factual news.
She wrote on Twitter, “This is a morphed image and fake news. Am so surprised now news channels are also using morphed images and featuring them as news items.” She also condemned another article publishing the video, writing, “Fake news with morphed image.”
Rajasthan Royals Sets the Record Straight
On Monday, Rajasthan Royals’ X account shared an uncensored clip of Preity Zinta talking to Vaibhav and other team members. The video features the song ‘Koi Mil Gaya’ in the background. It shows Preity Zinta speaking with Rajasthan Royals batter Yashasvi Sharma and then greeting Vaibhav Suryavanshi, but they do not hug. This clip refutes the viral rumors.
In the midst of the row, Preity Zinta awaits her comeback to films after a seven-year hiatus. She plays the lead in Lahore 1947, a historical drama by Rajkumar Santoshi, besides Sunny Deol, Shabana Azmi, and Ali Fazal.
