# Kriti Sanon Raksha Bandhan ad withdrawn after outfit backlash 2026-08-26T06:26:59+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets (3 source reports) Jewellery brand GIVA has withdrawn a Raksha Bandhan advertisement featuring actor Kriti Sanon after criticism of her outfit. The ad showed Sanon in an off-white bralette-style blouse, cape and draped skirt, which some social media users and actor Kangana Ranaut called unsuitable for a traditional festival. GIVA said it held Indian culture in the highest regard and removed the campaign from all media platforms on August 26, apologising for any unintentional offence. Sanon had defended her attire on Instagram on August 25, arguing that festivals are defined by their emotions and traditions, not by clothing. She questioned why women are judged by their clothes and said cultural respect lies in the heart, not the neckline. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi later backed her stance, stating that what a woman wears is her choice. The brand stated the ad was intended to extend Raksha Bandhan celebrations to pets, but withdrew it out of respect for public sentiment. ## Indian Opinion Analysis ABP Live adds political context by naming Kangana Ranaut’s criticism and Rahul Gandhi’s support, widening the story into a culture-war frame that the Times of India pieces omit. The first Times article leads with Kriti Sanon’s defence, framing the brand’s withdrawal as secondary, the second foregrounds netizen backlash against that defence, portraying public opinion as unreconciled to her argument. The difference is audience: ABP reports the controversy as a political proxy fight, while both Times editions treat it as a social-media and brand-response story. Together, they show the ad provoked two distinct arguments, one over permissible attire, another over who gets to define festive tradition. GIVA’s swift retreat sidesteps both, leaving the underlying cultural dispute unresolved. The next test will be whether brands continue to run festival campaigns that push contemporary fashion boundaries. ## Coverage Coverage: 3 sources, 2 neutral, 1 sensationalist - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Leads with Sanon's defence and brand's apology, minimises netizen criticism - news.abplive.com (neutral report) Adds Kangana Ranaut and Rahul Gandhi reactions, frames as political dispute - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2) (sensationalist) Foregrounds netizen backlash against Sanon's defence, omits political figures This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources. Last updated 2026-08-26T07:12:02+00:00. Tags: GIVA, Kangana Ranaut, Kriti Sanon, Rahul Gandhi, Raksha Bandhan Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/kriti-sanons-raksha-bandhan-ad-withdrawn-by-jewellery-brand-giva/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/kriti-sanons-raksha-bandhan-ad-withdrawn-by-jewellery-brand-giva/#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/