Kangana Ranaut responds to controversial Tanishq advertisement; calls execution 'shameful'

Heated reactions, trolling and online abuse have forced some netizens and celebrities to go off social media, limit comments on posts in past few months. And heavy criticism by a section online led to Tata-owned Tanishq pulling down its advertisement that sent a message of religious integration. Kangana Ranaut also waded into the controversy, and more than the religion angle, highlighted the execution of the ad as ‘shameful.’

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Kangana Ranaut on controversial advertisement

The advertisement features a Muslim woman guiding her pregnant daughter-in-law for her ‘godh bharai’ ceremony (in other words, baby shower), a Hindu custom. The mother-to-be expresses surprise that her mother-in-law is so excited for the ceremony and asks, ‘Such customs don’t even take place at your home.” The woman replies, ‘The custom of keeping daughters happy is part of every home,” as the voice-over speaks about the power of ‘becoming one.’

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Kangana tweeted that more than the concept, the ‘problem’ was in the execution. The Queen star was not too pleased about the portrayal of the ‘fearful Hindu girl’. She asked why the pregnant woman ‘apologetically expressed her gratitude’ to her in-laws for acceptance of her faith. Asking if she was not the ‘woman of the house’, Kangana also sought to know why she was at the ‘mercy’ of her in-laws, and ‘meek and timid’ at her own home.

The advertisement courted outrage online, with the word ‘love jihad’ being brought up on one hand and the acceptability of Godh Bharai in Islamic traditions on the other, with the opposition, which included a boycott trend being on top of Twitter, forcing to makers to bring it down. 

Numerous celebrities, however, have come out in its support and re-posted the video in solidarity. 

Meanwhile, Divya Dutta, who gave the voice-over in the advertisement, also expressed her displeasure about the ad being pulled down.

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