Priyanka Chopra denounces the “shameful” ad of an Indian body spray that promotes rape culture

Rape victims by Russian soldiers seek justice 4:29 (CNN Business) — A TV ad for a body spray for men has been pulled from the air in India after critics said it referenced rape in cluster.
Bollywood celebrities such as Priyanka Chopra, Richa Chadha and Farhan Khan are among those who have lashed out at the ad for Layer’r Shot, a men’s fragrance brand, calling it “embarrassing”, “disgusting” and “incredibly tacky”. . The controversial ad shows four men appearing to stalk a scared-looking woman in a store, before cutting to one of the men saying, “There’s four of us and there’s only one, who’s trying?” It’s only when the woman turns around that it becomes clear they’re talking about the body spray, which one of the men grabs from a store shelf and uses. A sample of Layer’r Shot’s controversial ad. The announcement caused a firestorm on social media, where critics, including several celebrities, slammed her innuendo as ridiculing rape. Many said the timing of the ad made it especially insensitive, as it aired just a week after a case in which a 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped by five men in the southern city of Hyderabad, the most of a series of notorious crimes against women and minority groups across the country. “This ad clearly promotes sexual violence against women and girls and fosters a rapist mentality among men. The ad is despicable and should not be allowed to spread in the media,” Swati Maliwal, chair of the Commission, wrote on Saturday. of Women of Delhi, to the Ministry of Information and Dissemination. Indian actress Priyanka Chopra, who called the ad “shameful and disgusting.” Within 24 hours, the ministry pulled the ad from radio and asked Twitter and YouTube to remove it from their platforms. In an email sent to Twitter, the ministry said the videos were “harmful to the image of women in the interest of decency and morality” and violated the ethical code of digital media. In a statement on Monday, Layer’r Shot apologized for the TV ads, saying they were “never intended to hurt anyone’s feelings or offend any woman’s modesty or promote any kind of culture, as is wrongly perceived.” by some”. The brand said it had voluntarily asked all of its media partners to stop running the ads from Saturday effective immediately. Even after the ad was removed, it continued to cause controversy. Actress Richa Chadha was one of the people who expressed her disgust, calling the creators of the ad “rubbish.” “The creatives, the script, the agency, the client, the casting…everyone thinks rape is a joke?” Chadha tweeted. In response to Chadha’s tweet, Quantico star Priyanka Chopra called the ad “disgraceful and disgusting” and said she was glad the ministry had pulled it. Writer and film director Farhan Khan also criticized the ad. “What vapid and twisted minds must think, approve and create these stinking ‘gang rape’ innuendo ads. It’s a shame,” tweeted Khan, who is also a United Nations goodwill ambassador for women. Actress Swara Bhasker said both the perfume brand and its marketing agency had turned a “deaf ear” to the alleged rape in group of the teenager in an exclusive area of ​​Hyderabad last Saturday. The case has shocked the state of Telangana, whose capital is Hyderabad. The Home Minister of Telangana, Mohammed Mahmood Ali, declared on Saturday that “strong action will be taken against all criminals, regardless of their origin.” It was “a shocking incident,” the minister tweeted on Saturday. — Esha Mitra contributed reporting.