On September 27, in Karur, Tamil Nadu, a stampede at a political rally led by actor-politician Vijay killed 41 and injured over 80 people.

In the above context, a video is being widely shared where Vijay is seen meeting and greeting the airport crew after getting down from what looks like a small plane. 

The video is shared with a caption claiming that it shows Vijay smiling after the Karur incident.

A social media user shared the video and wrote, “You know you’re not human at all? What are you going to do about this? Even after 39 people died, he smiles and poses and tweets without any emotion. Are you really making fun of a crying man? #TVKVijay @TVKVijayHQ #Karur” (Translated from Tamil)

SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The video predates the Karur incident.

On a Google reverse image search, we found that the same video was shared by the X account, Actor Vijay Team, on September 20. The video was shared with a caption that reads, “Thalapathy @TVKVijayHQ  at Chennai airport!”

Since the Karur incident happened on September 27, we can conclude that the video is old.

Moreover, we found that the same video was also shared by Zee News Tamil on September 21, with a caption suggesting that it was of Vijay at Chennai airport.

What was Vijay’s reaction to Karur tragedy?

In response to the Karur tragedy, Vijay said his ‘heart is shattered’ and he is in ‘unbearable, indescribable pain.’ He expressed deep condolences for those who died and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured.

He also announced Rs 20 lakh for the kin of Karur stampede victims and Rs 2 lakh for the injured.

Hence, we can ascertain that the viral claim is false.