Kangana Ranaut has weighed in on Kriti Sanon's Raksha Bandhan advertisement and her choice of outfit. The BJP MP and actress took to Instagram Stories to comment on the debate and noted that today women have various fashion choices and questioned why a more traditional festival such as Raksha Bandhan was represented through an outfit she felt was unsuitable.
The advertisement featuring Kriti Sanon has divided opinion online. In the campaign, the actor is seen celebrating Raksha Bandhan while wearing an off-white bralette-style blouse with a cape and draped skirt. While some viewers criticized the styling, others defended Kriti and argued that women should not be restricted to conventional clothing choices while participating in cultural celebrations.
Kangana entered the debate without directly naming Kriti Sanon. But her Instagram post made it clear that she was referring to the controversy surrounding the jewellery brand's advertisement.
Kangana made a comment on the variety of clothing available to modern women. She said women can wear cocktail dresses and lehenga cholis and jeans, saris, bikinis and salwar kameez. She then wondered why someone would wear what she would call a bikini or undergarment-style outfit and bind Rakhi to a brother.
Kangana also questioned the styling choices behind the campaign and asked where else the other fashion options are. She called the advertisement “intentionally creepy,” so her criticism was especially sharp.
The comments have added to the debate on the advertisement. Kangana is very open about her opinions on fashion, movies, celebrity culture, and social issues, and her recent comments have once again stoked discussion on social media sites.
The controversy itself has given rise to different opinions. Some users have argued that the outfit does not fit the traditional symbolism associated with Raksha Bandhan. They feel that advertisements for cultural festivals should be more sensitive to the occasion and its emotional significance.
Others have countered the criticism. Kriti was not actually wearing a bikini, and women should have the freedom to choose what they wear and not be judged according to some strict definition of tradition, they believe. Some social media users have also questioned why an actor's clothing should be the focal point of a campaign celebrating a festival.
The advertisement also received criticism for a dog element. In the commercial, a dog barks and Kriti ties a Rakhi to it, which also drew a bad reception from some viewers.
The outfit and the Raksha Bandhan theme have thus made the campaign a talking point online. And while supporters of the advertisement see it as a modern version of the festival, critics believe that there is a mixing of a traditional occasion with a fashion aesthetic that they don’t like.
Kriti Sanon has so far not publicly spoken out about the advertisement. The actor, who has become one of the most popular Bollywood actors in recent years, has numerous movies and brand endorsements with her.
Kangana’s intervention will probably keep the debate alive, largely because she framed her criticism around the larger issue of how modern women can reconcile fashion with cultural occasions. Her comments have once again put up a familiar argument about personal choice, representation of Indian traditions and Bollywood celebrities in commercial campaigns.
Reactions, on the other hand, are still coming online, and Kriti Sanon’s Raksha Bandhan advertisement highlights how much celebrity-led advertising campaigns are increasingly being criticized as they attempt to reformulate traditional festival programming in order to serve the contemporary market.
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