Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ‘racist’ ad withdrawn in India

An Indian jewellery advertisement featuring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been withdrawn after reports that it was “racist” and promoted child slavery.

In an official statement released by Kalyan Jewellers via its Facebook page, it said, “The creative was intended to present the royalty, timeless beauty and elegance. However, if we have inadvertently hurt the sentiments of any individual or organisation, we deeply regret the same. We have started the process of withdrawing this creative from our campaign.”

Yesterday, a publicist for Bachchan distanced itself from the advert with an open letter. It said, ���On the onset we would like to thank you on drawing our attention to the observation of the perception of the advertisement. Here is an attachment of the shot taken by somebody during the shoot. The final layout of the ad is entirely the prerogative of the creative team for a brand. However shall forward your article as a viewpoint that can be taken into consideration by the creative team of professional working on the brand visual communication.�۝

The advert appeared in a newspaper last week but had now started the process to withdraw it from the current campaign.