An Indian jewellery brand has withdrawn a Raksha Bandhan advertisement featuring actor Kriti Sanon after facing backlash over the outfit she wore in the campaign.
Giva had released the advertisement ahead of Raksha Bandhan, the Hindu festival during which women tie threads, known as rakhis, around their brothers’ wrists. Some social media users criticised Sanon’s outfit as inappropriate for a religious occasion, accusing the brand of being insensitive to the festival.
Bharatiya Janata Party MP and actor Kangana Ranaut also criticised the advertisement, calling it “intentionally creepy”.
“Why would you tie your brother a rakhi in your bikini/under garments? Where are all your styling options?” she said.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Giva said it had the “highest regard and deep respect” for Indian culture, traditions and festivals. The brand said it had not intended to hurt anyone’s sentiments.
“If our recent advertisement has inadvertently hurt the sentiments of some segments of society, that was not our intent at all,” Giva said.
The brand added that it had withdrawn the advertisement from all media platforms “out of respect”.
Before the advertisement was withdrawn, Sanon had defended the campaign on Tuesday, saying that culture and traditions reside in a woman’s heart, rather than in her neckline.
“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 on Instagram.
Sanon also questioned why women continue to be told what they should wear, arguing that ethnic fashion has evolved over the years while women’s respect for their culture continues to be judged by their clothing.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shared Sanon’s comments and said that what a woman wears, what she does and where she goes is her choice.
“Stop trolling women for exercising their freedom. #SmashThePatriarchy,” he wrote on social media.