Dabur Karva Chauth Advertisement: The women are seen facing each other with a sieve.
An advertisement showing a same-sex couple celebrating the festival of Karva Chauth rolled out by consumer goods major Dabur for their product Fem Creme bleach has prompted mixed reactions on social media.
The commercial shows two young women gleefully preparing for their first Karva Chauth, while one is applying bleach on the other's face.
Both the women are seen discussing the importance of the festival and the reason for celebrating it. Another woman joins the two and gives each one of them a saree to wear for the night.
Both the women are seen preparing for their first Karva Chauth.
Then, the women are seen facing each other with a sieve and a decorated plate with water in front of them, signaling that they are partners after which Fem's logo appears on the screen and the voiceover says, "glow with pride".
In a week which saw two major controversies over advertisements, the Dabur commercial was met with mixed reactions.
While some social media users appreciated the advertisement for its inclusivity and progressive depiction of marriage, others said that the commercial targeted the Hindu festival and has hurt religious sentiments. Some also linked the ad to the hype created over fair skin.
"Well done, Fem/Dabur! A nice film for a traditional, often-criticized festival by an otherwise conservative brand," wrote a social media user appreciating the advertisement.
"It is great to see that inclusive ads can be made only with Hindu festivals and traditions as Hinduism doesn't discriminate and accepts all," another said.
A user angry with the commercial said, "Why doesn't Dabur or whoever come up with similar ads for Xmas or E!D or any other festival? Why target Hindu festivals every time? My religion and my festivals are not a platform for social issues. Please leave them alone..."
Earlier this week, clothing brand Fabindia was forced to withdraw its advertisement for the clothing collection - 'Jashn-e-Riwaaz' - after senior BJP leaders slammed the brand and accused it of 'defacing' Diwali by linking the festival to an Urdu term.
Actor Aamir Khan who appeared in an advertisement by Tyre major Ceat Ltd, advising people not to burn crackers on roads as they can cause harm to vehicles, also faced severe backlash on social media with BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde writing to the Ceat CEO asking the company to also address the "problem blocking roads in the name of Namaz and noise emitted from mosques during Azan."