By A jewellery advertisement featuring actor Kriti Sanon tying a rakhi to a pet dog has drawn criticism online over her outfit choice in the campaign.
The advertisement, created for jewellery brand GIVA, shows Sanon in an off-white bralette-style blouse with a cape and draped skirt as part of a festive-themed shoot.
Some social media users questioned whether the styling was appropriate for a campaign linked to Raksha Bandhan, with actor Suzanne Bernert among those who publicly criticised the outfit choice.
Others accused the brand of prioritising a modern advertising aesthetic over the cultural traditions associated with the festival, while the inclusion of a dog in the campaign also became a point of discussion.
A number of social media users defended Sanon, arguing that personal style should not be linked to judgments about tradition or morality, with several posts pushing back against what they called the policing of women’s clothing.
The debate has since broadened beyond the advertisement itself into a wider discussion about how women’s clothing choices are scrutinised in relation to festivals and cultural occasions.
Raksha Bandhan advertising campaigns have periodically drawn similar scrutiny in past years, with brands often walking a line between contemporary styling and the festival’s traditional associations.
Neither Sanon nor GIVA had issued a formal response to the criticism at the time the controversy gained traction online, with the discussion continuing to play out primarily through social media comments and posts.
Raksha Bandhan, celebrated by tying a rakhi thread around a sibling’s wrist, remains one of the most widely observed festivals in India, making brand campaigns tied to the occasion a recurring focus of public commentary each year.
GIVA, the jewellery brand behind the campaign, has run several celebrity-fronted festive advertisements in recent years as part of its broader marketing strategy around major Indian occasions.
The episode adds to a recurring pattern in Indian advertising where festival-themed campaigns featuring Bollywood celebrities draw outsized public scrutiny compared with other product promotions.
Photo by Bollywood Hungama, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
