# Kriti Sanon hits back at trolls over Rakhi ad outfit

2026-08-25T21:56:30+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

Kriti Sanon has responded to backlash over her outfit in a Raksha Bandhan jewellery ad, questioning why women's clothing is policed during festivals. The ad, for Giva, showed Kriti tying a rakhi to her sister and including her pet dog in the ritual, but drew criticism on social media for her bralette-style blouse and for not showing traditional elements like applying tilak. Actress Kangana Ranaut called the ad 'intentionally creepy' and said a woman should know her 'boundaries' when dressing. In her reply, Sanon wrote that the true essence of festivals lies in emotions, not clothes, and asked, 'When will we stop telling women what to wear?' The debate has sparked wider conversations about evolving traditions and the double standard in judging women's appearance during festivals.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

m9.news frames the story as a social media storm and a woman defending her clothing, leading with the controversy and Kriti Sanon's response, which gives weight to the online backlash. Times Now's piece is an opinion column that takes a strongly critical stance against Kangana Ranaut and the trolling, arguing it is hypocritical and sexist. The core difference is that m9.news reports the event and Kriti's statement neutrally, while Times Now amplifies the critique of those policing women's attire, dispensing with Neutrality to advocate for freedom of choice. The balanced reading is that a Rakhi ad triggered predictable outrage online, but the news value lies in the debate it represents about evolving traditions and the persistent scrutiny of women's clothing, a conversation Kriti Sanon herself joined. The next concrete step is to see whether brands will adjust future ads to avoid similar backlash.

## Coverage

Coverage: 2 sources, 1 left-leaning, 1 sensationalist
- m9.news (sensationalist) <https://www.m9.news/bollywood/kriti-sanon-raksha-bandhan-ad-controversy/>
  Led with the social media storm and backlash before Kriti's response, amplifying the controversy
- timesnownews.com (left leaning) <https://www.timesnownews.com/opinion/india/kriti-sanon-rakhi-ad-controversy-kangana-and-the-trolls-who-made-you-the-sanskaar-police-article-155985762>
  Opinion piece criticising Kangana Ranaut and the trolling, strongly feminist framing, not neutral

This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-25T23:45:40+00:00.

Tags: Advertising Standards Council of India, GIVA, Kriti Sanon, Raksha Bandhan
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License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources.
Cite: https://indianopinion.org/kriti-sanon-hits-back-at-critics-over-rakhi-ad-outfit/#story-in-brief

How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/