A group of activists on Wednesday slammed Indian actress and star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for being a part of an advertisement campaign that had racist and regressive undertones.
On April 17, the former Miss World and United Nations goodwill ambassador for Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS appeared in a print full-page advertisement for Kalyan Jewellers bedecked in gold and diamond chains. She’s leaning against a couch while an emaciated, dark-skinned child holds an umbrella over her head.
“We wish to convey our dismay at the concept of this advertisement, and that you have, perhaps unthinkingly, associated with such a regressive portrayal of a child to sell a product. While advertisers routinely use fantasy images to sell products, they must surely desist from using images that condone, legitimise, normalise, or build desirable fantasy around slavery or servitude of any kind, including child slavery or child servitude,” said Farah Naqvi, writer and feminist activist in an open letter posted on Scroll.in on April 22. It is co-signed by activists including Oxfam India CEO Nisha Agrawal and Enakshi Ganguly, director of Centre for Child Rights, among others. Read the full text here.
They likened the image to “17th and 18th century colonial European portraits of white aristocracy, depicting women being waited upon by their black ‘servants’.”
Within hours, Rai Bachchan’s publicist responded to the open letter that was by thanking all those who brought the matter to the star’s attention. Archana Sadanand claimed that Rai Bachchan did not have full creative control over the final advertisment that appeared in Indian newspapers and posted a raw picture of Rai Bachchan taken during the ad campaign shoot. In that image, a bedecked Rai Bachchan is leaning against a velvet couch with a blank background; there is no sight of the dark-skinned child.
“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,” said Rai Bachchan’s publicist.
Rai Bachchan is one of Bollywood’s top earners and is a staple on the global red carpet events such as the Cannes International Film Festival.