Kalyan Jewellers to withdraw ‘racist’ print ad featuring Aishwarya Rai from campaign
In the ad, former Miss World Aishwarya Rai was seen decked in jewels along with the child, dark and emaciated, holding an oversize umbrella over her head.
As an aftermath to the social media outrage against their latest ad featuring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with even the actress shrugging off the responsibility as her publicist claimed that the image in the ad was changed without their prior knowledge, Kalyan Jewellers has now decided to withdraw the ‘racist’ print ad from their campaign.
In their latest Facebook post, Kalyan Jewellers has posted: “The creative was intended to present the royalty, timeless beauty and elegance. However, if we have inadvertently hurt the sentiments of any individual or organisation, we deeply regret the same. We have started the process of withdrawing this creative from our campaign.”
In the ad, former Miss World Aishwarya Rai was seen decked in jewels along with the child, dark and emaciated, holding an oversize umbrella over her head.
It was brought to notice after a group comprising of a feminist activist, a former chairperson of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights among others wrote an open letter to slam the former beauty queen’s print ad for Kalyan Jewllers, which they felt also promoted child labour.
Also read – Aishwarya Rai responds to letter on ‘racist’ ad’, says the picture was changed
“We wish to convey our dismay at the concept of this advertisement, and that you have, perhaps unthinkingly, associated with such a regressive portrayal of a child to sell a product,” the letter read.
They also asked Aishwarya Rai, who is the National brand ambassador for Kalyan Jewellers, to cease to associate herself with “this offensive image by ensuring that further use of this advertisement is stopped”.
Source:: Indian Express
