Now Reading: Kriti Sanon’s Giva ad triggers right-wing backlash over pet rakhi
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Kriti Sanon’s Giva ad triggers right-wing backlash over pet rakhi
Kriti Sanon's advertisement for jewellery brand Giva has sparked outrage online, with critics including actor-politician Kangana Ranaut and German actor Suzanne Bernert denouncing the ad as inappropriate for Rakshabandhan. The ad shows…
Kriti Sanon's advertisement for jewellery brand Giva has sparked outrage online, with critics including actor-politician Kangana Ranaut and German actor Suzanne Bernert denouncing the ad as inappropriate for Rakshabandhan. The ad shows Sanon in a bralette and skirt tying a rakhi on her pet dog's paw, promoting Giva's new pet collection.
Ranaut called the ad 'intentionally creepy', questioning why a woman would tie a rakhi on her brother in 'undergarments'. Bernert said wearing less clothes does not equal modernity or women's empowerment. The controversy follows a pattern of backlash against ads on Hindu festivals that promote inclusiveness, including past disputes over Tanishq's Godh Bharai ad and Fabindia's Diwali collection.
Indian Opinion Analysis
This is the latest in a recurring cycle where brands using Hindu festival settings to signal inclusivity, religious, gender, or pet-related, face organised social media boycotts. Past targets include Tanishq's interfaith ad in 2020, which was withdrawn after a store was attacked, and Fabindia's 2021 'Jashn-e-Riwaaz' line, which was renamed. The pattern pressures advertisers to choose between safe, exclusionary messaging and risking backlash. Giva has not yet issued a statement on the ad's future.
Source: thefederal.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
