NEW DELHI: Jewellery brand GIVA has withdrawn its recent Rakshabandhan advertisement featuring actor Kriti Sanon following criticism on social media, saying it never intended to hurt religious or cultural sentiments.
In a statement shared on Instagram, the company said it had 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,” GIVA said.
The company added that if the advertisement had “inadvertently hurt the sentiments of some segments of society”, it was not intentional.
“Out of respect, we have withdrawn the said advertisement from all media,” the brand said, while extending festive wishes of “love & positivity”.
The controversy had centred on a Rakshabandhan campaign featuring Sanon in an ivory lehenga with a deep-neck blouse and cape. While the look was appreciated by many, some social media users criticised the styling as inappropriate in the context of a traditional festival.
Responding to the criticism, Sanon said the essence of festivals lay in the emotions and meaning attached to traditions rather than in what a woman wears.
She said that Rakshabandhan represented a bond of protection and added that she and her sister tie rakhi to each other and extend the same affection and sense of family to their pets.
Sanon also questioned why women continued to be judged on the basis of their clothing, arguing that culture and traditions should not be measured by a woman’s neckline.
Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi backed Sanon’s position, saying that what a woman wears, does or where she goes is her own choice.
“What a woman wears, what she does, and where she goes – is her choice. Stop trolling women for exercising their freedom,” Gandhi wrote on Instagram.
Actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut had also reacted to the advertisement, saying that modern women have a wide range of clothing options and questioning why a Rakshabandhan campaign would choose styling that could be perceived as provocative.
She described the advertisement as appearing “intentionally creepy”.
The episode triggered a wider social media debate over women’s clothing, cultural symbolism in advertising and the boundaries between creative expression and religious or traditional sensitivities.
