FMCG Company Dabur has removed its Fem Karwa Chauth ad from all social media platforms after receiving a warning from Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra. The minister criticized the ad for showing “objectionable content” and said that legal steps would be taken if the advertisement was not withdrawn. “Today, they are showing two women celebrating Karva Chauth. Tomorrow, they will come up with an advertisement that shows two men getting married. We cannot allow anyone to show such objectionable content,” Mishra told reporters in a press conference in Bhopal on Monday morning.
In a brief statement, Dabur informed that the ad has been removed from all social media handles. "Fem's Karwa Chauth campaign has been withdrawn from social media handles and we unconditionally apologise for unintentionally hurting people's sentiments," the statement read.
Fem's Karwachauth campaign has been withdrawn from all social media handles and we unconditionally apologise for unintentionally hurting people’s sentiments. pic.twitter.com/hDEfbvkm45
— Dabur India Ltd (@DaburIndia) October 25, 2021
The ad was released over various social media platforms on October 23, a day before Karwa Chauth. The 1 minute 6 seconds long advertisement showed two women getting ready for the ritual of the festival in which traditionally, a woman is expected to maintain a day-long fast for her husband and break it after viewing the moon at night. However, the ad took a progressive turn and showed the two women fasting for each other.
While many users applauded the ad for infusing a traditional festival with a queer storyline, a certain section on the internet started trending the hashtag “BoycottFem”. The ad was removed soon after.
(Source: Twitter)
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