So for the past few days, apart from demonetization there has been one thing that has been in the news (shocking, I know) and that is Ranveer Singh and his sexist ad from the brand Jack and Jones.
Now, Ranveer has always been very unconventional with what brands he endorses such as the condom brand Durex and such else.
He is also known to have a keen interest in the script and making of the advertisements that he is usually a part of and giving good inputs on them.
Then came, this ad by Jack and Jones, where we see Ranveer decked out in formal office wear and looking like a true macho man with his beard and moustache, holding a woman over his shoulder while a lift boy is snickering in the background.
Why The Apology Now?
Immediately after the ad came out, there was apparent outrage over the depiction and the way the ad was designed with Tamil actor Siddharth correctly saying
A new low for women’s rights in the workplace in India. What were they thinking? #Fail pic.twitter.com/3PW5mMaKOt
— Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) November 20, 2016
And an apology they got, with Ranveer just commenting on this fiasco, apologized for the insensitive nature of the ad and reassured us that he never wanted to disrespect any woman.
Hmmm… good words and in any other case would have passed for a genuine apology.
However, my question is that is Ranveer just now realizing how wrong the ad is?
Did he not think that the way the ad is being formed and done that it could rub people the wrong way?
If he is usually so involved in the ad making process, then why did it not occur to him that this ad is sexist and in a way seems to be mocking the very real and dangerous issue of work place harassment that women in India face.
Should Ranveer Singh Be Held Responsible?
A little while back, there was this news that the court had brought out this ruling of where if a brand was found to be misleading or doing something wrong, then the actor endorsing it too would have to face a punishment for it.
Now, I don’t think that Ranveer Sing should be punished and the fact that he apologized for it does say something.
But according to me, actors should be just a bit more liable for the things that they are endorsing.
And I also think that apologizing after the ad is out and you received negative feedback is wrong. As an actor and a creative person, you should have some idea on whether this will be taken positively or not.
This just sort of even further cements the fact of how immune we have become to such sexist and frankly demeaning things that a modern and educated actor and ad campaign team would come out with such an ad.
Signing off I would say that, maybe they had a different mindset when making the ad, after all the tag line is good, but the execution was just so horrible, it overtook everything else.
Image Credits: Google Images
Other Recommendations:
http://edtimes.in/2016/08/nonsense-celebs-endorse-in-the-name-of-ads-now-to-be-penalised-for-being-misleading/
http://edtimes.in/2016/07/advertisements-that-dared-to-break-the-convention/
