Tanishq ad focusing Diwali celebration faced outrage

News Desk: In what seems like a deja vu, jewellery brand Tanishq has taken down yet another ad after Twitter outrage. Tanishq, in a Diwali-special advertisement, got actors Neena Gupta, Nimrat Kaur, Sayani Guta and Alaya F together to speak about the festival of lights. Except, actor Sayani Gupta’s message of urging people to celebrate a cracker-free Diwali doesn’t seem to have gone down too well with a section of Twitter users. Some people criticised Tanishq for its ‘advice’ on how to celebrate Diwali. Some others, however, also defended Tansihq.

WHAT WAS THE TANISHQ AD ALL ABOUT?

The special Diwali advertisement by Tanishq featured Neena Gupta, Nimrat Kaur, Sayani Gupta and Alaya F talking about what Diwali means to them and how they are celebrating it this year. While Neena Gupta brings up ‘lots of jewelleries’, Nimrat Kaur talks about the importance of being together with family. For Alaya F, Diwali means mithai, food and family and friends. Sayani Gupta, in the ad, says she will be meeting her mother after a really long time this Diwali. She also says that it will be a no-firecracker Diwali for her. There will be lots of diyas though.

WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM WITH THE AD?

It was Sayani Gupta’s ‘advice’ to people to not burst firecrackers this Diwali that irked a section of Twitter users who asked Tanishq who were they to tell people how to celebrate Diwali.

WHAT DID TANISHQ DO?

Following the outrage on Twitter, Tanishq took down the Diwali celebration ad in what looked like an encore of the earlier advertisement row.

SAYANI GUPTA REACTS TO THE AD AND SOCIAL MEDIA OUTRAGE

Actor Sayani Gupta, who was part of the Tanishq ad, took to Twitter to express her views on the criticism.

Sayani wrote, “Just witnessing how a universal issue of Air Pollution(at a terrible level right now especially in Delhi and NCR),getting politicised and bigotted in the name of religion!! Unbelievable!! What have they done to our country! This is what systemic hate does to people.#astounded”

Just witnessing how a universal issue of Air Pollution(at a terrible level right now especially in Delhi and NCR),getting politicised and bigotted in the name of religion!! Unbelievable!!
What have they done to our country!
This is what systemic hate does to people.#astounded

— Sayani Gupta (@sayanigupta) November 9, 2020

WHAT WAS TANISHQ’S EARLIER CONTROVERSIAL AD?

It was just last month that Tanishq had to take down a Hindu-Muslim interfaith wedding ad after massive outrage from a section of Twitter users. Titled ‘Ekatvam’, the ad for its eponymous line of jewellery was aimed at celebrating the ‘coming together of people from different walks of life… [and] the beauty of oneness.”

WHAT DID TANISHQ SAY AFTER TAKING DOWN THE EARLIER AD?

Tanishq, after taking down the ad, also put out a statement that read, “The idea behind the Ekatvam campaign is to celebrate the coming together of people from different walks of life, local communities and families during these challenging times and celebrate the beauty of oneness. This film has stimulated divergent and severe reactions, contrary to its very objective. We are deeply saddened with the inadvertent stirring of emotions and withdraw this film keeping in mind the hurt sentiments and well-being of our employees, partners and store staff.”