Zomato Mahakal ad is not the first. These 8 ads were also trolled for 'hurting sentiments'

Zomato's latest ad rubbed Hindu sentiments the wrong way because of lead Hrithik Roshan's one-line statement. But this is not new: the world has seen many controversial ads that have hurt religious sentiments. 

As per the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), out of the six types of ads that offend Indian consumers, ads that hurt religious sentiments form a key majority. Ads that portray mixed religious narratives, depict new interpretations of traditions, or use religious and cultural motifs in a humorous manner became a trigger point for many and often lead to complaints where the intent of the ads is questioned. 

Here are 6 ads from different parts of the world which hurt religious sentiments and caused furor:

1. Zomato's word play trouble: If you have seen the latest Zomato ad, Hrithik has this one line that says: “Thaali khane ka mann tha, Mahakaal se manga liya (wanted to have a food platter, so I ordered it from Mahakaal)”. This one line has caused controversy as priests in Ujjain and many Hindu viewers could not digest this line well and asked Zomato and Hrithik Roshan to apologise for this ad. In fact, #BoycottZomato was also trending on Twitter in India to protest against Zomato's new ad.

But as per Zomato, the ad was created based on facts: The thaali is the most popular item in the region and when they said 'Mahakal', they were actually referring to a restaurant named Mahakal and not the temple. Zomato and Hrithik Roshan both apologized and Zomato took down the ad. 

We have something to share - pic.twitter.com/6e1wVIpvIz

— zomato care (@zomatocare) August 21, 2022

2. A get-together that turned ugly (in real life): In 2017, a lamb campaign was launched by Meat and Livestock Australia, a meat company in Australia that showed a table full of deities feasting on meat and making religious jokes. The idea of the 'playful' TVC was that anyone can enjoy lamb no matter their background, religious beliefs, or dietary requirements. But obviously, it did not go down well and was complained against since many objected to the “crude and deplorable attempt to use images of Ganesha to promote lamb consumption” and trivializing one of Jesus’s miracles.

3. Just some visual appeal: Remember when clothing company United Benetton launched an ad campaign called ''Unhate'' where it used mocked-up images of multiple geographical and religious leaders? Though the entire campaign had immense shock value, people across the globe were offended to see posters of Pope Benedict XVI kissing Mohammed Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar mosque, Egypt. 

A decade ago, a clothing company was pressured to pull down this ad by the Vatican. It’s time to bring it back. (Image: Pope Benedict XVI kissing a senior Egyptian imam). pic.twitter.com/h8tQvJquuH

— Ex-Muslims of North America (@ExmuslimsOrg) March 6, 2021

While the Vatican took legal action to stop the distribution of these images, United withdrew these images from its website. United was also forced to withdraw another picture from the same campaign- that of Silvo Berlusconi and Angela Merkel (because their images were morphed too) 

4. FabIndia: When Fab India tweeted about its Diwali collection and called its campaign 'Jashn-e-riwaaz', it got the most unexpected flak from a lot of netizens. Hindus accused Fab India of 'Abrahamising' the Hindu religious practices and thousands tweeted to boycott FabIndia.

Though FabIndia had to take down its tweet, the campaign dented the brand's profits in FY 21-22. Here's what the uproar looked like. 

Awww @FabindiaNews gets inspired by @myogiadityanath and renames Jashn-E-Riwaaz to Jhilmil Si Diwali. One of the models starts smiling, and there is auspicious alta on the hands. Still NO #Bindi, therefore, #NoBindiNoBusiness! pic.twitter.com/vIaNB3jrvf

— Shefali Vaidya. 🇮🇳 (@ShefVaidya) October 22, 2021

5. When the Church changed its history 

St Matthew's church in New Zealand wanted to challenge stereotypes about Jesus's conception and wanted to get people talking about the Christmas story. What better way to start conversations than releasing a couple of controversial billboard banners?

On #thisdayinsex, December 17, 2009, St. Matthew’s church in New Zealand erected a billboard showing Joseph and the Virgin Mary in bed together under the caption “Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow.” St. Matthews’ vicar said it was to challenge stereotypes about Jesus. pic.twitter.com/1p7lMIUWQv

— thisdayinsex (@thisdayinsex) December 17, 2021

This was not the first time the Church had taken to spark interesting conversations. It had previously created another hoarding that showed Virgin Mary with a pregnancy test that was positive.  

Auckland (New Zealand)
The St Matthew's-in-the-city billboard which depicts Mary's reaction to a positive pregnancy test. pic.twitter.com/eP3X1wtY0Y

— Michel Saint-Hilaire (@lautreamont13) November 2, 2020

6. A little change in traditions doesn't go down well: Remember when Tanishq launched its ad where it depicted a Hindu daughter-in-law being thrown a baby shower in a Muslim household? The ad was accused of promoting ''Love Jihad" and was eventually taken down.

7. Even the kids aren't spared: Surf Excel came up with a Holi ad to promote Hindu-Muslim unity. The ad depicted a Hindu girl allowing her friends to attack her with colored water balloons so that once her friends had exhausted their supply, she could take her Muslim friend to his prayers, without being affected. But the ad faced flak.

8. Domino's ice cream: Iran has seen a few controversies when it comes to women participating in advertisements. So to strengthen the country's hijab and chastity laws, it banned women from appearing in ads. Why? An advertisement by an ice cream company Domino showed women biting into an ice cream which was 'against public decency' and 'against women's morals.' 

The body responsible for “enjoining right and forbidding evil” in the Islamic Republic of Iran has filed a lawsuit against the Iranian ice-cream manufacturer Domino over two controversial commercials, which it says are “against public decency” and “insult women’s values.” pic.twitter.com/Brho4SGZj3

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) July 5, 2022

Another controversial ad by the same brand

And this is the second commercial by Domino company, which is accused by the Islamic Republic of making instrumental use of women. pic.twitter.com/dhcLDXoeWi

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) July 5, 2022