Bollywood actress and Punjab Kings co-owner Preity Zinta has raised serious concerns over digitally manipulated images circulating online that falsely depict her hugging 14-year-old Rajasthan Royals cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
The controversy began after the Rajasthan Royals shared a brief video clip on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. The video, filmed at Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium, showed Preity meeting Vaibhav before an IPL match.
The interaction was limited to a friendly handshake and a short exchange of words. The post was captioned, “Flex levels at school: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi,” and set to the popular song “Koi Mil Gaya” — a tribute to one of Preity’s iconic films.
However, digitally altered images soon surfaced across various social media platforms, falsely showing the actress hugging the young cricketer.
These misleading visuals, which do not appear in the original video, quickly went viral and were even picked up by some regional media outlets, fueling public speculation.
Addressing the issue, Preity Zinta took to social media to condemn the spread of misinformation. Reposting a news article that featured one such doctored image, she clarified, “This is a morphed image and fake news.”
In a follow-up post referencing another local report, she expressed her dismay, stating, “Fake news with morphed image. Am so surprised now news channels are also using morphed images and featuring them as news items.”
The incident took place during the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals, which saw Preity’s team clinch a 10-run victory after defending a total of 219.
Meanwhile, Preity Zinta is set to make her comeback to the big screen after a seven-year hiatus.
She was last seen in Bhaiaji Superhit (2018) and will soon appear in Lahore 1947, directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir Khan. The film also stars Sunny Deol, Shabana Azmi, and Ali Fazal in pivotal roles.