Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee has been facing criticism for his recent mangalsutra ad campaign. Apart from creating a storm on the social media by the netizens on the “nudity” aspect in the ad, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra has issued an “ultimatum” to the designer.
On Sunday, Mishra has issued a warning saying that if the ad is not taken down within 24 hours, the ace designer will face legal actions. Mishra took to Twitter sharing a video with a caption, which said, “Fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s mangalsutra advertisement is highly objectionable and hurtful. If the objectionable advertisement is not removed within 24 hours #SabyasachiMukherjee Legal action will be taken by registering a case against him.”
In the video, Mishra was seen saying, “I have seen the advertisement. It is very objectionable and hurting to religious sentiments. The yellow part of a mangalsutra stands for Parvati, while the black part represents Shiv.” He added, “A mangalsutra stands for conjugal happiness. I have already raised objections before. Now I am warning designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee personally and giving him an ultimatum of 24 hours.”
फैशन डिजाइनर सब्यसाची मुखर्जी के मंगलसूत्र का विज्ञापन बेहद आपत्तिजनक और मन को आहत करने वाला है।
अगर 24 घंटे में आपत्तिजनक विज्ञापन नहीं हटाया तो #SabyasachiMukherjee के खिलाफ केस रजिस्टर्ड कर वैधानिक कार्रवाई की जाएगी।#Sabyasachi pic.twitter.com/iGl9lp3gsR
— Dr Narottam Mishra (@drnarottammisra) October 31, 2021
Mishra’s announcement followed a day after Ashutosh J Dubey, who is a legal advisor to BJP-Maharashtra issued a notice to Sabyasachi for using, “using semi-naked models for a Mangalsutra collection advertisement.”
The notice highlighted a specific reason which stated, “I say that in India majority of people associate Mangalsutra with a religious custom. There is also a sound scientific justification behind it. Hindu culture emphasises wearing a Mangalsutra made of pure gold and it is advised that the Mangalsutra should be hidden behind the inners and your promotional advertisement features heterosexual and same-sex couples posing for pictures wearing the Royal Bengal Mangalsutra…”
Sabyasachi’s luxury label launched a mangalsutra collection naming it as, “The Royal Bengal Mangalsutra,” and shared intimate images on Instagram featuring a woman in denim and a bra while wearing the mangalsutra. Interestingly, the images have been removed from the official Instagram page.
