Tag: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

  • What do the ads augur? Inclusivity under attack, and debate, as big brands roll back campaigns

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: An Urdu phrase, a same sex couple and a mangalsutra sans demureness, these were the buttons of unconventionality that led to ads hoping to package tradition and the diverse shades of this festive season with that extra edge being withdrawn within days of each other.

    That the ads, each showcasing a different mood of inclusivity, were for a FabIndia clothing collection, Dabur India’s Fem bleach cream and designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s mangasutra, the biggest brand names in their sectors and therefore powerful in their own right, point to a “dangerous trend” of intolerance, say society watchers and industry insiders.

    According to adman Piyush Pandey, it is difficult for advertisers to continue with their campaigns “unless the law and order situation protects the people”.

    “Advertisers don’t want people to get hurt so withdraw the ad not because it was wrong but because it was a threat to their people,” Pandey told PTI.

    The government and legal system, he added, have to “wake up to this”.

    As the polarising debate gathered steam, Abhijit Prasad, an advertising professional, said his industry is trying to show a world “you want to live in”, one that corrects inequality.

    But that was not to be.

    And so it was that Sabyasachi, a favourite with the swish set, on Sunday rolled back his ad showcasing his mangalsutra, the black bead-gold chain traditionally worn by married Hindu women, the design varying according to region.

    The designer sought to give the neckpiece, viewed as a symbol of a woman’s marital fidelity and also of patriarchy, a spin by putting out ads showing couples from the LGBTQ community and women in deep necklines in positions of intimacy looking unapologetically into the camera.

    The series prompted Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra to issue the designer a 24-hour ultimate to withdraw the ads or face consequences.

    On Monday, he added that there will be direct action without any warning if the designer repeats something similar.

    Withdrawing his ad, a “deeply saddened” Sabyasachi said in a statement, “In the context of making heritage and culture a dynamic conversation, the Mangalsutra campaign aimed to talk about inclusivity and empowerment. The campaign was intended as a celebration and we are deeply saddened that it has instead offended a section of our society.”

    The week before, Dabur India withdrew its ad for Fem bleach.

    In a curious amalgam of ritual, patriarchy and pushing societal boundaries for a product that many women find problematic, it showed a lesbian couple celebrating Karwa Chauth, a Hindu festival where women fast for the long lives of their husbands.

    The ad, which tried to be unconventional within a deeply conventional structure, immediately came under social media fire.

    The Madhya Pradesh minister was again at the forefront, saying he had directed the state police chief to convey to Dabur that the objectionable” advertisement should be withdrawn.

    The company initially tried to defend the ad, saying the brand strived for “diversity, inclusion and equality” but later complied.

    And shortly before that, was FabIndia’s Jashn-e-Riwaaz collection that attracted ire because it used an Urdu phrase that means “celebration of traditions” and also led to debate on why the women in it were not sporting ‘bindis’, once a Hindu symbol of matrimony and now a fashion accessory for women, married or not.

    The brand was accused of “defacing” the Hindu festival of Diwali.

    It was also heavily trolled for what some said was unnecessarily uplifting secularism and Muslim ideologies in a Hindu festival.

    BJP Yuva Morcha president Tejasvi Surya described the advertisement as the “Abrahamisation of Hindu festivals” and tweeted that brands like FabIndia “must face economic costs for such deliberate misadventures”.

    FabIndia issued a clarification stating that ‘Jashn-E-Riwaaz’ was not its Diwali clothing collection, which was the ‘Jhil Mil se Diwali’ collection that was yet to be launched.

    Pandey said the ads should not have been cancelled.

    The aggrieved parties, he added, have the option of approaching the Advertising Standard Council or the courts.

    Referring to the angry debate and the backlash on social media platforms, he said, “I don’t take social media seriously. It should come under the scanner of the Advertising Standard Council or the courts. So groups of people pressuring and taking law in their hands is a very dangerous trend in the society.”

    “The anger can come from groups of motivated people. It is not about community or group. No one has the license to take law in their hands,” Pandey said.

    Others also weighed in with their views, saying that brands being forced to pull out their ads in face of threats shows there is little tolerance towards even the slightest deviation from existing norms and practices.

    In some cases, there was pushback and in some none at all.

    “Seems like this country does not have a judiciary/police or state since goons give out diktats accompanied by threats NO LONGER VEILED. Democracy-indeed!!!” wrote filmmaker Onir, tagging a news article about ads facing trouble in the country.

    Prasad added that advertisers have to toe a “very fine line” and maybe Sabyasachi shouldn’t have withdrawn the ad.

    “But it’s ok for one’s safety. The situation is bad, we all know that. It’s not the safest time to make any commentary on Hinduism,” he added.

    Criticising the controversy over the FabIndia ad, lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar wrote, “I failed to understand why some people have any problem with FabIndia’s Jashn-e-Riwaj. Which in English means nothing but ‘a celebration of tradition.’  How and why anybody can have a problem with that. It is crazy (sic).”

    In brand strategist Siddhant Lahiri’s view, what is being targeted is thinking that lies outside conventions.

    There is an overall societal trend globally where “we are becoming increasingly intolerant of points of view which are dissimilar to ours”, the Singapore-based professional said.

    “Be it Nike or be it FabIndia, social media has equipped the masses with expressing their displeasure very vociferously. And that is fine, of course, it is only through discourse that we progress, however when discourse becomes prohibitive, there is a problem. It is fine to say that I disapprove of something, it is a little dangerous to say that you cannot do something because I disapprove of it,” Lahiri told PTI.

    Days before the FabIndia, Dabur, Sabyasaachi series, an ad for clothing brand Manyavar featuring Alia Bhatt as a bride questioning the ritual of “kanyadaan”, the giving away of the bride by the father in a traditional Hindu wedding, was under attack.

    And last year, jewellery brand Tanishq faced a backlash for showing an inter-religious family.

    Supreme Court judge D Y Chandrachud last week commented on the gap between laws aiming at removing social inequities and the ground reality while giving the example of the Dabur ad.

    “There are real-life situations which show that there is great divergence between ideals of the law and the real state of the society today,” Justice Chandrachud said at an event themed on legal awareness for women.

    “Just two days ago, all of you would know, of this advertisement which a company was required to pull down. It was an advertisement was for Karwa Chauth of a same-sex couple. It had to be withdrawn on the ground of public intolerance!” he remarked.

  • Sabyasachi nixes controversial mangalsutra ad after deadline set by Narottam Mishra

    By Express News Service

    BHOPAL:  Celebrity designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee withdrew his controversial mangalsutra collection advertisement on Sunday night hours after Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra warned of consequences if he fails to do so.

    “I’m personally warning Sabyasachi Mukherjee to withdraw the obscene and objectionable advertisement in 24 hours. If it isn’t, then a case will be registered and the police sent for legal action,” Mishra told journalists in Datia district.

    For his part, Sabyasachi said on Instagram: “The campaign was intended as a celebration and we are deeply saddened that it has instead offended a section of our society. So, we at Sabyasachi have decided to withdraw the campaign.” 

    Mishra said, “Mangalsutra is a jewellery of utmost importance. It’s our sacred belief that a mangalsutra’s yellow part signifies Goddess Parvati, while its black part symbolises Lord Shiva. The mangalsutra worn by women protects the lives of the woman and her husband and ushers marital bliss.”

    He had earlier threatened Dabur with legal action for its Fem cream bleach advert (showing a same-sex couple observing Karva Chauth), after which it was withdrawn six days ago. When Bajrang Dal men went on a rampage on the sets of Ashram 3 web series in Bhopal, he had joined the chorus demanding its renaming. 

  • After Dabur, Narottam Mishra targets Sabyasachi over ‘objectionable’ mangalsutra ad

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Sunday issued a 24-hour ultimatum to fashion and jewellery designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee to withdraw the advertisement with “objectionable and obscene” portrayal of mangalsutra or else face statutory action.

    Last week, Dabur India Private Limited had withdrawn its Fem cream bleach advertisement, which showed same-sex couple celebrating Karva Chauth and watching each other through a sieve, after minister Mishra termed the ad as objectionable and warned that legal steps would be taken against it.

    The mangalsutra advertisement by Sabyasachi’s brand portrayed a woman wearing a low-neckline dress and posing solo and in intimate position with a man.

    After the designer shared these pictures, it created a controversy as a section of social media users termed it against Hindu culture and obscene.

    Talking to reporters at Datia in the state, Mishra said, “I have warned earlier about such advertisements. I am personally warning designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, giving him a 24-hour ultimatum. If this objectionable and obscene advertisement is not withdrawn, then a case will be registered against him and legal action will be taken. The police force will be sent for the action.”

    Mishra said that he saw Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s mangalsutra advertisement.

    “It is very objectionable. Mangalsutra is a jewellery of paramount importance. We believe that the yellow part of the mangalsutra signifies Goddess Parvati and the black part Lord Shiva, which protects the woman and her husband. Marital life becomes happy by the grace of Goddess Parvati,” he said.

    Mangalsutra is a necklace worn by married Hindu women.

    Replying to a question about the requirement of law to check such incidents, the minister said, “The law is already in place. But why do such painful incidents take place only with Hindu symbols? If Mukherjee has courage, he should do it with some other religion, then we will understand that he is a real brave man.” While sharing the promotional photos of the advertisement, Sabyasachi’s official Instagram page wrote, “Introducing the Royal Bengal Mangalsutra 1.2 and the Bengal Tiger Icon collection of necklaces, earrings, bracelets and signet rings in 18k gold with VVS diamonds, black onyx, opals and black enamel.”

    The designer has not given any statement on the minister’s warning so far.

  • ED summons three top fashion designers in PMLA case against Punjab Congress MLA

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The ED has summoned three top fashion designers of the country — Ritu Kumar, Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Manish Malhotra — in connection with a money-laundering case against a Punjab Congress legislator, official sources said on Wednesday.

    They said the fashion designers have been sent notices to appear for questioning before the central probe agency in Delhi later this week.

    The three could not be reached for a comment.

    The summonses are related to a money-laundering case against Punjab Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira and his family members.

    The agency had conducted searches against the accused in March, the sources said.

    Khaira was a rebel Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA when the raids were carried out.

    He has recently re-joined the Congress.

    The legislator from the Bholath Assembly seat in Punjab’s Kapurthala district won the election on an AAP ticket in 2017.

    However, he resigned from the primary membership of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party in January 2019 and floated his own outfit, the Punjab Ekta Party.

    The ED has alleged that Khaira is an “associate” of drug case convicts and fake passport racketeers.

    The 56-year-old politician has denied any wrongdoing and said he is being targeted by central agencies as he has been vocal against the Centre’s three new farm laws.

    The case against him pertains to the probe in a 2015 Fazilka (Punjab) drugs-smuggling case in which 1,800 gms of heroin, 24 gold biscuits, two weapons, 26 live cartridges and two Pakistani SIM cards were seized by security agencies from a gang of international drug smugglers.

    The sources said the ED has found that certain payments, including in cash, were allegedly made to the three designers and hence, the agency wants to know their version of the transactions and record their statements.

    The payments, purportedly made during 2018-19, run into a few lakhs of rupees and are linked to Khaira, they said.

    The ED had filed the case under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Khaira and others after studying a Punjab Police FIR.

    “The drugs were smuggled through the India-Pakistan border and one of the kingpins of the syndicate is in the UK.”

    “Khaira was actively aiding and supporting the gang of international smugglers and enjoying the proceeds of crime,” the agency has alleged.