The image on the right appeared in a newspaper ad
After Aishwarya Rai Bachchan responded to an open letter charging her with appearing in an allegedly racist advertisement, the makers of the ad are withdrawing it. The advertisement for Kalyan Jewellers appeared in a newspaper on April 17 and shows Aishwarya reclining under a parasol held over her head by what the letter describes as 'a dark-skinned slave-boy.' The 41-year-old actress is a brand ambassador for Kalyan Jewellers. (Also Read:
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Responds to Open Letter on 'Racist' Ad)
This statement from Kalyan Jewellers was posted on
Facebook : "With regard to the item Open letter to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: This ad you figure in is insidiously racist, the creative was intended to present the royalty, timeless beauty and elegance. However, if we have inadvertently hurt the sentiments of any individual or organization, we deeply regret the same. We have started the process of withdrawing this creative from our campaign."
Yesterday, in a statement on behalf of the actress, her publicist suggested that Aishwarya was not involved in the final image that appeared in the newspaper. The statement, accompanied by the photo below, was addressed to the authors of the open letter and read: "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 open letter published on
Scroll is addressed to Aishwarya and is written by a collective of activists for women's and children's rights including feminist writer Farah Naqvi, Enakshi Ganguly, Harsh Mander and Shantha Sinha, a former chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
The letter describes the image in the advertisement as 'insidiously racist' and accuses Aishwarya of associating herself with a ''regressive portrayal of a child to sell a product." It also acknowledges that she may have done so "unthinkingly."
Twitter has mixed feelings. Sanjay Gupta, who is directing Aishwarya in her comeback film
Jazbaa, spoke in favour of the actress:
Other comments denounced the ad:
On the day the advertisement appeared in the papers, Aishwarya and father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan were in Chennai to inaugurate a new showroom for Kalyan Jewellers.