An advertisement showing a same-sex couple celebrating Karwa Chauth from Dabur has drawn mixed reactions online.
The advertisement, for the company's Fem Creme bleach, shows the couple discussing the importance of the festival while preparing for their first Karwa Chauth. A third woman then meets them and gives them new saris for the event.
The ad ends with the couple breaking their fast with each other.
The ad has drawn mixed reactions, with some people praising it as 'a nice film for a traditional, often-criticized festival by an otherwise conservative brand,' while others taking exception to "another Hindu festival being targetted" by a brand for marketing.
"The “tradition” is criticized with good reason. adding a queer angle to it doesn’t change that. and also, perpetuating the regressive desire to “glow” (euphimism for “fair”)," wrote one user.
Some used the promo to mock BJP and its supporters after the drama surrounding FabIndia's advertisement on Diwali.
Another person tagged a Shefali Vaidya, saying "Hey @ShefVaidya another one with no bindi. Enjoy the lovely ad and boycott the product. You can replace Fem with Gillette!" Vaidya, had announced her support for #NoBindiNoBusiness, meaning she wouldnt buy products from any brand that show models withut bindis. This garnered a lot of attention
Earlier this week, FabIndia and CEAT faced flak for their advertisements on Diwali. FabIndia courted a controversy over advertisement of its festive collection titled ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’, forcing it to withdraw the ad.
Meanwhile firebrand BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde shot off a letter to CEAT chief executive Anant Vardhan Goenka rebuking the company’s latest advertisement featuring Bollywood star Aamir Khan for creating “unrest among Hindus” after the company released an advertisement appealing to people to not burst crackers on roads during Diwali.
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