Jewellery brand GIVA has withdrawn its Raksha Bandhan advertisement featuring actor Kriti Sanon after the campaign triggered a heated debate online over her outfit and the way the festival was portrayed. The company said the campaign had not been intended to hurt anyone’s sentiments and confirmed that the advertisement had been removed from all media.
The decision, announced on August 26, came after several days of criticism on social media. The controversy also drew comments from actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, while Sanon publicly defended both her clothing choice and the campaign’s broader message about family and protection.
Why did the GIVA Raksha Bandhan ad become controversial?
In the advertisement, Sanon appeared in an Indo-Western ensemble featuring a bralette-style blouse, cape and draped skirt while celebrating Raksha Bandhan. A section of social media users argued that the styling was inappropriate for a campaign centred on a traditional Indian festival. The campaign also extended the idea of the Raksha Bandhan bond to pets, with a dog included in the celebration.
Criticism of the outfit quickly became the main focus of the online discussion. Some users framed the issue as one of cultural sensitivity in festive advertising, while others argued that policing a woman’s clothing had little to do with respect for a festival. That disagreement turned what began as a seasonal jewellery campaign into a wider argument about tradition, fashion and personal choice.
What GIVA said after withdrawing the advertisement
In a statement posted on its official social media account, GIVA said it has deep respect for Indian culture, traditions and festivals. The company explained that its intention was to celebrate Raksha Bandhan with the entire family and to extend that sentiment to pets.
The brand said any hurt caused by the campaign was inadvertent and that causing offence was not its intention. It then confirmed that, “out of respect”, it had withdrawn the advertisement from all media. The response effectively ended the campaign while acknowledging the criticism without endorsing every claim made about it.
Kriti Sanon defended the campaign before it was pulled
Before GIVA announced the withdrawal, Sanon responded to the backlash in an Instagram Stories note. She argued that the meaning of a festival comes from the emotions and values attached to its traditions rather than the clothes someone wears.
Sanon also described Raksha Bandhan as a bond of protection rather than one limited strictly to a brother protecting a sister. She said that she and her sister tie rakhi to each other and extended the same idea of care and family to their dogs. Addressing criticism of her attire, she questioned why a woman’s respect for culture should be measured through her clothing.
Kangana Ranaut’s criticism intensified the debate
The dispute gained further attention after Kangana Ranaut criticised the styling used in the advertisement. Ranaut questioned why, given the range of clothing available to women, the campaign had chosen an outfit she characterised as resembling a bikini or undergarments for a Raksha Bandhan scene.
Her intervention pushed the story beyond a conventional advertising backlash and into a broader public debate involving celebrities, culture and gender. Sanon’s response, in turn, focused on the idea that cultural respect cannot be determined solely by a neckline or a particular style of dress.
The controversy highlights a recurring challenge for festive advertising
Indian brands routinely build major campaigns around festivals because these occasions combine emotion, family traditions and high consumer spending. That also means creative choices can receive unusually close scrutiny, particularly when an advertisement updates a familiar ritual or mixes traditional symbolism with contemporary fashion.
The GIVA episode shows how quickly that scrutiny can change the direction of a campaign. Social media allows criticism to scale within hours, and celebrity involvement can amplify it further. Brands then face a difficult choice between defending their original creative intent and limiting reputational damage by withdrawing the material.
Was the advertisement withdrawn because of Kriti Sanon’s outfit?
The outfit was a major focus of the backlash, but it is more accurate to say that GIVA withdrew the advertisement after the overall controversy surrounding the campaign. The company’s statement did not single out Sanon’s clothing as the reason for its decision. Instead, it referred broadly to sentiments that may have been inadvertently hurt and reiterated the campaign’s intention to include pets in the festive celebration.
That distinction matters. Headlines describing the ad as being removed specifically because of a particular garment go further than the brand’s own explanation. The confirmed facts are that the campaign faced online criticism, much of it centred on Sanon’s outfit, and that GIVA subsequently withdrew the advertisement from all media.
What happens next?
For now, GIVA’s withdrawal closes the immediate advertising campaign, but the discussion it created is likely to outlast the ad itself. The episode has become another example of the tension brands face when they try to modernise the visual language of traditional festivals while marketing to a large and culturally diverse audience.
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Sources
Reporting and statements cross-checked with Hindustan Times, India Today and The Indian Express.
