Jewellery Ad Featuring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Pulled After Being Slammed as 'Racist'

New Delhi:

The open letter published on Scroll is addressed to Aishwarya and is written by a collective of activists for women's and children's rights including feminist writer Farah Naqvi, Enakshi Ganguly, Harsh Mander and Shantha Sinha, a former chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

The letter describes the image in the advertisement as 'insidiously racist' and accuses Aishwarya of associating herself with a ''regressive portrayal of a child to sell a product." It also acknowledges that she may have done so "unthinkingly."

Twitter has mixed feelings. Sanjay Gupta, who is directing Aishwarya in her comeback film Jazbaa

Get a life guys. Sure you have more to do than write these dumb open letters. https://t.co/eF3ILBYnYo

— Sanjay Gupta (@_SanjayGupta) April 22, 2015

Here is the pic taken. What is done with it in POST is not in the artist/model's hand. https://t.co/AJxlcobbgM

— Sanjay Gupta (@_SanjayGupta) April 22, 2015

Black kid holdin umbrella to d great Aishwarya Rai.Kalyan Jewellers has lost this one completly by promoting slavery! pic.twitter.com/7Gu1GSTC53

— Prashanth (@itisprashanth) April 22, 2015

Sickening Racist Ad of black slave child & Aishwarya Rai @KalyanJewellers shame on you boycottKalyanJewellers http://t.co/YBovs3lxIy

— Dharini Parthasaraty (@dharinipart) April 22, 2015

Deeply disappointed by Aishwarya Rai @kalyanjewellers for this racist ad promoting child labour. http://t.co/9tzb0fQDpC via @scroll_in

Parmesh Shahani (@parmeshs) April 22, 2015