Popular online food delivery firm, Zomato, had to issue an apology after their recent advertisement starring Hrithik Roshan sparked controversy on social media. In the now-deleted ad, the actor said, "Thali khane ka mann tha, Mahakal se manga liya.” While Hrithik, quite obviously referred to a restaurant named Mahakal, some priests of a temple in Madhya Pradesh raised objections and accused the team of insulting Lord Shiva, also known as Mahakal. 

Reacting to the allegations and controversy, Zomato issued a clarification. In the statement, the firm stated clearly, "The Hrithik Roshan-starrer ad that ran in specific pin codes of Ujjain reference 'thalis' at 'Mahakal Restaurant', and not the revered Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple. Mahakal Restaurant is one of our high-order-volume restaurant partners in Ujjain, and thali is a recommended item on its menu."

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The statement further read, "The video is part of a pan-India campaign for which we identified top local restaurants and their top dishes based on popularity in each city. Mahakal restaurant was one of the restaurants chosen for the campaign in Ujjain. We deeply respect the sentiments of the people of Ujjain, and the ad in question is no longer running. We offer our sincerest apologies, for the intent here was never to hurt anyone's beliefs and sentiments."

Mahakaleshwar or Mahakal Temple in Ujjain is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is also one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in the country and attracts a large number of devotees. Soon after the ad went on air, Ujjain Collector Ashish Singh, who is the chairman of the Mahakal temple trust, reportedly criticised Zomato for saying devotees are served prasad on a plate or thali free of cost and it is not something that can be ordered online through the app.