Jewellery brand GIVA has addressed the backlash around its Raksha Bandhan campaign featuring Kriti Sanon, clarifying that the advertisement was pulled down after the situation escalated near some of its stores – not because the brand distanced itself from the campaign’s message.
GIVA founder Ishendra Agarwal issued a clarification on Instagram and LinkedIn, days after the ad was removed, saying its takedown had wrongly created the impression that the brand no longer stood by the campaign. He stated that GIVA’s belief in the campaign’s intention remains unchanged.
Agarwal said the campaign was developed closely with Sanon and reflected a shared vision of celebrating Raksha Bandhan as a moment that brings families together, adding that GIVA remains aligned with the actor on the campaign’s intent and spirit. However, he said the decision to remove it was a fast call made in response to escalating developments around the brand’s stores.
The controversy stemmed from a promotional video featuring Sanon performing Raksha Bandhan rituals in an ivory lehenga with a deep-neck blouse and cape, which drew criticism online over her outfit choice. GIVA subsequently pulled the ad and issued a statement affirming respect for Indian cultural traditions, maintaining that hurting religious or cultural sentiments was never the intent.
Sanon had earlier pushed back on the criticism, questioning why a woman’s cultural respect is often judged by her clothing rather than the emotions behind the festival, asserting that tradition lives in sentiment, not attire.
