Alia Bhatt's latest advertisement for a bridal wear brand questioned the age-old tradition of Kanyadaan in Hindu weddings. In the advertisement, the actress, dressed in a beautiful red lehenga, raised questions on why girls are termed as 'paraya dhan' and asked why are they 'given away' during the Kanyadaan ritual. Breaking the fourth wall, she asked, "Am I a thing to be donated?". Towards the end, Alia was surprised to see her in-laws give their son away as well. Promoting the term Kanyamaan, the advertisement received a mixed response from the viewers. Hailed as a modern concept, the advertisement didn't go down well with many, including Kangana Ranaut. The actress penned a lengthy note on Instagram and slammed the makers of the advertisement for mocking Hindu rituals.
Kangana further wrote about the tradition of kanyadaan, and the concept of renunciation. We often see a Martyr’s father on television when they lose a son on the border. They roar ‘Don’t worry I’ve one more son, uska bhi daan main iss dharti Maa ko dunga’. Kanyadaan ho ya putradaan…the way society looks at the concept of (lack of equivalent word in English or Urdu) renunciation shows it’s a core value system. When they start to look down upon the very idea of daan…then you know it is time for re-establishment of Ram Rajya…the king who renounced everything he ever loved only to live the life of a Tapasvi (Monk) Please stop mocking Hindus and their rituals. Dharti and women both are mothers in scriptures. They are worshipped as goddesses of fertility. Nothing wrong in seeing them as the precious and very source of existence (shakti)
The caption of the post read: "Humble request to all brands ….. don’t use religion, minority, majority politics to sell things …. Stop manipulating naive consumer with shrewd divisive concepts and advertising…"
In another post, Kangana shared her interpretation of Hindu marriage traditions and wrote in the caption, "Don’t become a pest who loves to abuse and condemn Hinduism just because it is the most tolerant religion."
(Source: Instagram)
