An Indian jewellery advertisement featuring top Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been withdrawn after criticism that it was ‘racist’ and promoted child slavery. A group of activists wrote an open letter to Bollywood Diva, calling the ad ‘extremely objectionable’.
The letter reads, “We are fully aware that yours is an advertisement selling jewellery through creating a fantasy/desire, and not a portrayal of reality. Yet, advertisements and visuals are a critical part of our socio-cultural-psychological ecosystem and these ecosystems can either help create conditions in our mind that will foster positive social change or work against it. So, in this context, what is the social change we want? One, racism is a global reality, and we need to fight it. Two, though child labour in many industries is illegal in India, it is still rampant and we all need to work together to change this”.
After facing backlash from the people, Aishwarya’s publicist responded to the criticism and said that the final layout of the advertisement was selected by the creative team of the brand.
The company has now apologised for hurting the sentiments of people and has began the process to withdraw the campaign.
“The creative was intended to present the royalty, timeless beauty and elegance. However, if we have inadvertently hurt the sentiments of any individual or organisation, we deeply regret the same,” Kalyan Jewellers said via their Facebook page.
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