Kalyan Jewellers, a leading Indian jewellery manufacturer with showrooms across the GCC, including more than 10 stores in the UAE, has withdrawn a controversial advert featuring Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan and his daughter Shweta Bachchan Nanda.
The decision to remove the advert with immediate effect, announced today on social media, was made following complaints from a banks representative body in India.
The video shows Bachchan visiting a bank branch with his daughter to inform them that his pension was erroneously deposited twice in to his account. He is treated rudely by junior bank staff, while the manager suggests Bachchan should keep the money as no one is likely to know about it.
The depiction led All India Bank Officers Confederation, which has 320,000 members, to threaten Kalyan Jewellers with legal action as it cast India’s banking fraternity in an unfavourable light.
Ramesh Kalyanaraman, executive director for marketing, Kalyan Jewellers said he regretted that the ad hurt the banking community.
“We understand that the advertisement has hurt sentiments of some people including members of our esteemed banking community. Any such hurtful interpretation being drawn is unintended. We state that the creative advertisement was a work of fiction and not a reflection of banking employees at large. We sincerely regret the inadvertent hurt caused and withdraw the advertisement from all media with immediate effect.”
Media statement on withdrawal of advertisement. pic.twitter.com/omYmrJYbIB
— Kalyan Jewellers (@KalyanJewellers) July 23, 2018
The advert was designed by L&K Saatchi & Saatchi creative advertising agency for its Trust Campaign series.
Kalyan Jewellers has 129 stores in India and the GCC including more than 10 in the UAE. The family business, which has operated for over a century, ventured into retail jewellery in 1993. According to its website, it is set to expand into new markets across India, GCC, USA, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and more.
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