Lionsgate’s latest ad to promote their streaming service backfired after receiving heat online for the alleged promotion of domestic violence against men.
The ad, which features Sanjana Sanghi, who made her Bollywood debut in Dil Bechara, was not liked by netizens who were quick to point out their problems with it.
The Ad
In the ad, Sanjana and the male actor are struggling to decide what to watch on a streaming platform. The male actor turns to Sanjana and asks her to choose something.
Sanjana, in turn, hits the actor 8 times before he finally yells out and asks her to stop, at which point, the actress smiles and picks a movie.
The ad had the caption, “Are you going this crazy while picking what to watch? We have a solution for your confusion!”
Well, Twitter did go crazy, but not in the way the advertisers would’ve liked it seems.
Latest #VoiceOver for #LionsgatePlay#HomeStudio pic.twitter.com/g6Q3FgxC5R
— Ashwin Mushran (@ashwinmushran) December 5, 2020
Also Read: Controversial Indian Ads Which Shocked Everyone!
The Response Has Been Negative
Soon after the ad was released, netizens were furious, finding the ad to be promoting domestic violence. Many raised the point that if it had been a woman who was being hit, the ad would’ve never been released as it would have rightfully been offensive and ill-conceived.
Many took to social media to bring the attention of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), a self-regulatory body of the adversity industry, to the ad.
They responded, saying, “…We are already processing the complaint against this advertisement.”
Actress Pooja Bedi tweeted, “Absolutely HORRIFIED 2 watch this advt. Domestic violence against men is NOT acceptable.”
Twitterati’s Response
The social media site was abuzz with criticism of the ad:
Domestic Violence In India
While some may think the internet’s response might be too much, it is to be noted that Indian law doesn’t even recognize domestic violence against men. The law is meant only for the protection of women against domestic violence, leaving male victims out to fend for themselves.
This happens despite the fact that nearly 50% of male partners have experienced domestic violence at least once in their lifetime.
Slapping, as shown in the ad, is the most common form of physical violence, forming 98.3% of all physical violence in domestic scenarios.
It’s unfortunate that the advertisers did not put more thought into their campaign before releasing it online. At least the outrage will serve as a reminder for them to be more aware of their audience the next time.
Image Sources: Twitter
Sources: Hindustan Times, Sage, Twitter
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This post is tagged under: sanjana sanghi ad, lionsgate ad, controversial ad, Indian ad, India Twitter, sanjana sanghi latest ad, Indian advertisement, Dil Bechara, reported ads India, Indian advertising industry, domestic violence in India, domestic violence against men
