Fake Bollywood celebrity deaths

According to a report on Ibtimes, veteran actor Dilip Kumar has again become victim of a death hoax after a message of the actor passing away went viral on messaging app, Whatsapp. The message, that went viral, stated that the Bollywood actor had died on March 2 at the Lilawati Hospital in Mumbai. "Big loss of the film industry. Bollywood superstar Dilip Kumar passes away at Lilawati Hospital of Mumbai," the message read. However this is not the first time that the actor has been a victim of such rumours.

While he attended the wedding reception of Salman Khan's sister Arpita and seemed to be in the pink of his health, rumours of his death started doing the rounds only two days later. Many fans heaved a sigh of relief when Amitabh Bachchan tweeted, "Some baseless rumours being spread about Yusuf Saheb - Dilip Kumar, being ill... Saira ji just informed me he is perfectly fine !"

A while back, when Dilip Kumar hadn't been keeping well for a while and was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai, rumours of his death spread. A frazzled Anurag Kashyap even took to Twitter to express his condolences.

In the age of online media and social networking sites, viewers consume any content that is sensational and entertaining, which goes on to show the power of the internet and its control over people. For some twisted reason, death hoaxes are one of the most popular online trends observed in recent times. Read on to know about more such instances when celebs were killed online...

According to a Mumbai Mirror report, the latest Bollywood celebrity to become a victim of a death hoax is Shakti Kapoor. Early on Saturday (February 21, 2015), Shakti Kapoor woke up to calls and messages enquiring about his well-being, the report stated. This was, apparently, a reaction to a WhatsApp text that went viral declaring that the 56-year-old actor had died in a car crash on his way to Khandala, the report further stated. He'd just returned from the Bangkok schedule of Kya Kool Hai Hum 3 when friends started calling, and on hearing his voice, began crying. David Dhawan and Rumi Jaffery were panic-stricken, the report continued. "I assured them I'm fine but the calls don't stop. I am tired of telling people that I'm not dead," the report quoted Shakti. "I was taking a nap. I woke up to over 50 calls asking about the accident. I looked out of the window, saw dad strolling and went back to sleep," his son Siddhant added.

While Shakti Kapoor has cleared the air, here's taking a look at other celebs who fell victim to a death hoax in the past.

In the age of online media and social networking and micro-blogging sites, viewers will consume just about any content that is sensational and entertaining, going on to show the power of the internet and its control over people. In a series of fake news surrounding the deaths of Bollywood celebrities, many have been targets including Big B and Dilip Kumar. Here’s a look at five such celebs who were falsely killed on such websites.

Amitabh Bachchan: Even a legend like Amitabh Bachchan has not been spared by the internet. Big B who regularly writes blogs and is active on micro-blogging site Twitter, was victim of a hoax that claimed he had died in a car crash. The fabricated story went on to state the facts that Amitabh Bachchan was killed in a car crash in the United States and needless to say, the news went viral. The blogspot even listed the details of his funeral. Big B, however, chose not to respond to the hoax.

Dilip Kumar- Everybody knows that legendary actor Dilip Kumar (real name Muhammad Yusuf Khan) has been keeping unwell for a while and has been in and out of hospitals. Dilip Kumar was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai when he suffered a heart attack. As word spread, Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap took to Twitter to condole the death. He wrote, “Two deaths today...Ajay Jhingran and now Dilip Saab. Something else died too..Shittiest day ever..” But the director soon realized his mistake and quickly apologized once again by tweeting, “Apologies for the Dilip Saab tweet.. I panicked because of three back to back messages, he is fine and the news is not true”. So embarrassed was Anurag that he apparently deleted his Twitter account!

Lata Mangeshkar: Lata Mangeshkar also fell victim to one such hoax that stated the singer was dead and Twitter was immediately abuzz with reactions to this rumour. But the calm and composed Lata ji put rumours to rest by tweeting, “Namaskar. Pls don’t believe any rumours which are doing the rounds about my health & well-being. All is well, by the Grace of God”. She further tweeted, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion the only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand.”

All tweets are sourced from Twitter.com

Ayushmann Khurrana: Upcoming star Ayushmann Khurrana of Nautanki Saala fame was also a victim of such a hoax that claimed that the actor had died in an accident. A website reported that Ayushmann, who was holidaying with friends and family in Switzerland, died in a snow board accident. Twitter went into a frenzy as fans started posting RIP messages. Ayushmann chose to clarify the rumours by tweeting, “I have been hearing some bizarre rumors about my demise. RIP rumor mongers. Thanks!”

All tweets are sourced from Twitter.com

Katrina Kaif: Bollywood bombshell Katrina Kaif was not spared either. The actress became a soft target when a Facebook page of a website called Mediamass.net wrote, “At about 11 a.m. ET on Tuesday (November 26, 2013), our beloved actress Katrina Kaif passed away. Katrina Kaif was born on July 16, 1984 in Hong Kong. She will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page." The website is known for its humour and satire and the post was intentional to gauge how easily do people believe and consume content on the web. And their point was proved. Twitter went into a frenzy as fans took to the micro-blogging site to express their grief and shock! It’s funny that even the Facebook page attracted one million likes! Katrina’s representatives clarified that there was no truth to the story.