Sonu Nigam pulled into Kriti Sanon’s Raksha Bandhan ad row after mistaken identity: ‘This is not me'
Singer Sonu Nigam distances himself from X post on Kriti Sanon ad row
A case of mistaken identity has pulled singer Sonu Nigam into the controversy surrounding Kriti Sanon's Raksha Bandhan advertisement for jewellery brand GIVA, even though he had nothing to do with the comment at the centre of the confusion.
A remark on the backlash over GIVA's campaign was posted on X by a user sharing the singer's name, and was mistakenly attributed to Sonu Nigam himself in subsequent reports.
Nigam has since publicly distanced himself from the post. On Thursday, he shared a screenshot of the report on his official Instagram account, writing: "This is not me and this has never been me!"
The confusion appears to have arisen because the X account actually belonged to Sonu Nigam Singh, who posts under the handle @SonuNigamSingh — a different person entirely. The singer has previously said he does not use X/Twitter.
Sonu Nigam Singh later clarified the mix-up himself, confirming the post was his: "For clarity, the post was published from my account, @SonuNigamSingh. The singer has now also publicly clarified that the post is not his. I request media organisations to verify the source account before attributing statements, especially when two people share the same name."
Why the Raksha Bandhan ad sparked backlash
The mix-up comes as GIVA continues to face criticism over its Raksha Bandhan campaign featuring Kriti Sanon. The 36-second ad showed Sanon in an ivory bralette-style blouse with a cape and draped skirt, celebrating the festival with her brother and pet dog. While the campaign aimed to frame pets as part of the family, both Sanon's outfit and the ad's portrayal of the festival drew criticism online, prompting GIVA to pull the campaign from its social media platforms.
In response, the brand said it respected Indian culture, traditions and festivals, and explained its intent had been to broaden the idea of family celebrations to include pets. GIVA apologised to anyone whose sentiments were hurt, adding that the ad was withdrawn "out of respect."
