Filmworld
Kalyan Jewellers withdraw 'racist' ad featuring Aishwarya
New Delhi, April 23
Jewellery brand Kalyan
Jewellers on Thursday announced its decision to withdraw its Aishwarya
Rai Bachchan-starrer advertisement, which a group of activists has
labelled as "insidiously racist".
"This creative was intended to
present royalty, timeless beauty and elegance. If we have,
inadvertently, hurt the sentiments of any individual or organisation, we
deeply regret the same," the official spokesperson for Kalyan Jewellers
said in a statement.
"We have started the process of withdrawing this creative from our campaign," the statement read further.
The
withdrawal of the ad comes after an "Open letter" to Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan, asserting, "This ad you figure in is insidiously racist".
The
letter takes on the former beauty queen for appearing "to be
representing aristocracy from a bygone era - bejewelled, poised and
relaxing while an obviously underage slave-child, very dark and
emaciated, struggles to hold an oversize umbrella over your head".
"As
an influential member of the Indian film industry and a popular star
with a large fan following, we trust that you wish to use your image in a
manner that promotes progressive thought and action, and would not
knowingly promote regressive images that are racist and go against child
rights," reads a part of the "Open letter".
Reacting to the
letter, Aishwayra's publicist on Wednesday issued an image from the
original shoot and claimed that the "final layout is the prerogative of
the creative team of a brand".
The publicist's statement read:
"On the onset we would like to thank you on drawing our attention to the
observation of the perception of the advertisement. Here is an
attachment of the shot taken by somebody during the shoot."
"The
final layout of the ad is entirely the prerogative of the creative team
for a brand. However, shall forward your article as a viewpoint that can
be taken into consideration by the creative team of professionals
working on the brand visual communication. Thank you once again."
The
publicist's statement was addressed to Farah Naqvi, Nisha Agrawal,
Enakshi Ganguly, Bharti Ali, Madhu Mehra, Shantha Sinha, Harsh Mander
and Mridula Bajaj, who signed the open letter posted on an online
portal.
Aishwarya Rai is the national ambassador of Kalyan Jewellers.