A jewelry ad that ran in print publications has been pulled by Kalyan Jewellers after it was attacked as racist, reports Merinews.
The ad showed a dark skin boy holding an umbrella over the elegant Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. It immediately drew comparisons to slavery from its critics.
“The creative was intended to present the royalty, timeless beauty and elegance. However, if we have inadvertently hurt the sentiments of any individual or organization, we deeply regret the same. We have started the process of withdrawing this creative from our campaign,” said the jeweler in a written statement.
Some have criticized the actress for participating in the ad, but renowned Bollywood director Sanjay Gupta has come to her defense. You can read about that in Merinews.