A video of a man dancing to a Bollywood song went viral after his private emails were hacked by an Iran-linked group, with many online speculating that it was FBI Director Kash Patel. Despite initial AI suggestions of similarity, verification revealed that the clip predates the hack and shows an unrelated man celebrating his wife’s departure.

Call it a benefit or a downside of the digital age, but content can go viral in a matter of seconds – creating laughter, outrage or confusion overnight. Right now, FBI Director Kash Patel finds himself at the center of just such a storm.As a key figure in US national security under the administration of President Donald Trump, Kash Patel’s every move is intensely scrutinized, especially amid rising tensions with Iran. Recently, a video of a man dancing to a classic Bollywood track has taken the internet by storm, with many speculating whether the dancer is Patel, as his appearance is very similar.

Snapshot of the viral video (Photo: X)

The hack that started it all

An Iran-linked hacker group called Handala Hack Team recently claimed that they have broken into the private email of FBI Director Kash Patel. According to their website, Patel “will now find his name on the list of successfully hacked victims.” They released over 300 emails, photos and documents from 2010-2019. A Justice Department official confirmed the breach, and said that the leaked material “appears to be authentic.”This has come amid America-Iran tensions. The New York Times reported that the files were posted on a site claiming Iranian ties but hosted in Russia. AP News said the hack targeted Patel’s Gmail, which had previously been flagged in a 2024 alert. None of the leaked videos match the viral clip.

It is being speculated on social media that the person seen in the viral dancing video is Kash Patel.

Following the hack, a video circulated on X (formerly Twitter) showing a bearded man dancing barefoot to the song “Sun Sahiba Sun” from the 1985 film Ram Teri Ganga Maili. Users captioned it, “The only video leaked from Kash Patel’s Gmail account.” It garnered views with humor and ridicule amid the scandal.The man is seen dancing happily in a homely environment, with food on the table and friends cheering him on. Online users immediately speculated, “Is this Patel letting loose?” Even AI tools like Grok initially pointed out “strong facial similarity (beard, hair, features, texture)”, suggesting it could fit into the so-called “personal leaked narrative”.

But what is the truth?

However, verification revealed that the video is old and has been viral on YouTube since at least 2021. It depicts an unrelated man celebrating “going to his wife’s parents’ house”. Grok later clarified, “The guy in the video… doesn’t match Kash’s known professional look in the official pictures (short styled hair, suit, FBI settings). Probably a meme clip attached to the hack story for laughs.”