A viral video falsely claims Shahrukh Khan spat at Lata Mangeshkar’s funeral. Here’s the truth behind the gesture and how Jamia alumni defended him.
Shahrukh Khan grabbed attention on social media after a video clip showing him paying last respects to India’s nightingale, Lata Mangeshkar, at Shivaji Park, Mumbai, went viral with the false claim that the actor spat on the singer’s mortal remains.
India Today Anti-Fake News War Room (AFWA) found this claim misleading. The outlet reported that Shahrukh Khan did not spit; rather, he blew air after offering prayers.
In the viral video, the actor can be seen folding his hands, then raising them in prayer, and finally blowing out air from his mouth as he bent over Lata Mangeshkar’s mortal remains.
Reciting holy verses and then blowing air is called Ruqyah in Islamic tradition, according to India Today.
With the video and claim going viral on social media, many alumni of Jamia were also upset, stating that Shahrukh Khan’s action was a traditional gesture rooted in his Muslim faith.
Jamia alumni Harkirat Kaur, Aqdas Sami, and Sayed Fouzul Azeem spoke on the issue.
Mangeshkar died on Sunday at the age of 92 due to multiple organ failure. She was admitted to Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital on January 8, after she was diagnosed with COVID-19 and pneumonia, reported Hindustan Times.
The Centre had announced two days of mourning, during which the National Flag was to be flown at half-mast throughout India, also reported by *Hindustan Times*.
Jamia alumna Harkirat Kaur told the OT that recently, news had emerged claiming that during the funeral of the legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, the actor went near her body and apparently spat.
“Let me just say — how can you even imagine something like this? Shahrukh Khan, a huge fan of hers, arrived early and respectfully waited for the body to arrive. When her body arrived, he offered a prayer as per his faith. If you understand Muslim customs, there are different ways to pray. In Islam, you recite a ‘dua’ (prayer) and then gently blow air — it’s part of the prayer. That’s what he did — something he felt in his heart, a peaceful offering. We also saw the pictures,” she said.
“He did what his heart and his religion guided him to. Why is this being turned into controversy? How can such a beautiful gesture be twisted?”
As someone from Jamia who studied Mass Communication, Aqdas Sami said he doesn’t understand how some people twist things.
“Shahrukh Khan is such a respected figure, and Lata Mangeshkar was like a mother figure to our nation. It’s extremely hurtful to see these things unfold like this. It is shocking and painful that during a time of mourning, some people are spreading such false narratives,” he said.
“What kind of culture are we creating, where baseless controversies are born out of thin air? My humble request: please, before jumping to conclusions, understand the context.
“There’s no need to view everything from a communal lens. Let me reiterate — I studied at Jamia, a place of unity and harmony. The current controversy — or rather, misinformation — is deeply disturbing. It is shameful that someone of Shahrukh Khan’s stature, who has taken Indian cinema to global platforms, is being dragged into such cheap, low-level accusations,” said Aqdas.
Shahrukh Khan simply offered a prayer at Lata Mangeshkar’s funeral and gently blew air after the prayer — which is now being falsely interpreted as spitting, said another Jamia alumnus, Syed Fouzul.
“This is the power of social media — yes, it empowers us, but it also empowers the spread of fake news. At such times, it’s crucial for responsible media houses and fact-checkers to step up. There are people who constantly use lies to target Muslims, Dalits, and other minorities. They must be sidelined to prevent this poison from spreading further in society,” he said.
“India is a beautiful, diverse country — people from all religions live here in harmony. But some cannot tolerate this love and unity. To break it, they rely only on lies and hate. There is no truth in these allegations,” he said.
