New Delhi: Several Bollywood celebrities have condemned the “misogynistic” advertisement of a perfume brand which sparked national outrage and was later banned by the government.
Slamming the advertisement, Bollywood actor and filmmaker Farhan Akhtar tweeted, “What incredibly tasteless and twisted minds it must take to think up, approve and create these stinking body spray ‘gang rape’ innuendo ads..!! Shameful.”
Bollywood actor, Richa Chadha also commented and said that the agency that made this ad needs to be sued for the “filth” they’re serving.
“This ad is not an accident. To make an ad, a brand goes through several layers of decision making. Creatives, script, agency, client, casting…DOES EVERYONE THINK RAPE IS A JOKE? Revelatory! This brand, the agency that made this ad need to be sued for the filth they’re serving,” she tweeted.
On Richa Chadha’s tweet, Priyanka Chopra wrote, “Shameful and disgusting. How many levels of clearance did it take for this commercial to be green lit. How many people thought this was ok? I’m so glad that it was called out and the ministry has taken it down. Appalling!.”
The advertisement for the perfume brand shows four men in a convenience store, standing behind a woman. The men are then heard saying “there are four of us, but there’s only one, who will get a shot”. It then shows the visibly shocked woman turning to them uncomfortably when one of them went to grab a single bottle of ‘Shot’ perfume kept on a rack.
After the outrage, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting ordered the suspension of the controversial perfume ads. Within hours of coming to the notice, the I&B ministry came into action and suspended the advertisement. Now, an inquiry has been as per the advertising code.