Indian jewellery brand GIVA has pulled its Raksha Bandhan ad featuring Kriti Sanon after backlash over her Indo-Western outfit and a scene of her tying a rakhi to a dog. Critics, including Kangana Ranaut, called the ad inappropriate and creepy. Sanon defended herself on Instagram, arguing that cultural respect should not be judged solely by women’s clothing choices.
The Indian fine jewellery brand GIVA has taken down its recent advertisement featuring Kriti Sanon, which was anchored around the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. The advertisement faced backlash from a section on the internet, with outrage over Sanon's outfit.
In the commercial, the Cocktail 2 star was seen wearing an Indo-Western ensemble: a bralette-style blouse and a sleeveless cape-like shrug, and a scene that showed her tying a rakhi to a dog.
GIVA made the announcement through an Instagram post on Wednesday, writing that the brand has the "highest regard and deep respect for Indian culture, traditions and festivals."
"As a brand, we have always believed in celebrating these joyous moments with the entire family and this time we wanted to extend the love and celebration to our pets. If our recent advertisement has inadvertently hurt the sentiments of some segments of society, that was not our intent at all.”
While the makers intended to put a contemporary spin on Raksha Bandhan, it instead enraged some viewers who argued that Sanon's outfit was inappropriate, with comments suggesting it hurt religious sentiments and actor-politician Kangana Ranaut also taking a jab at this issue on her Instagram story, calling the advertisement "intentionally creepy."
In response, Sanon posted an Instagram story on Tuesday, defending herself amid the backlash.
The actor called people out for still having a say on what women choose to wear and expressed why a "woman's respect for her culture is measured with just her clothes" even though ethnic fashion has evolved over time.
"The essence of festivals is not in the clothes you wear, it is in the emotions and meaning you hold for the traditions" she wrote. Sanon was most recently seen in Homi Adajania's Cocktail 2 alongside Shahid Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna.