KOCHI:
After coming under fire from the bank union for its advertisement featuring Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and his daughter, Kalyan Jewellers has issued an apology and withdrawn the ad. The advertisement had come under attack from bank officials who called it “disgusting” and an attempt to create distrust in the system.
Issuing a statement that the ad will be removed from all media with immediate effect, Kalyan Jewellers said, “We understand that the advertisement has hurt sentiments of some people including members of our esteemed banking community. Any such hurtful interpretation being drawn is unintended. We state that the creative advertisement was a work of fiction and not a reflection of banking employees at large.” “Along with crores of Indians, we acknowledge the valuable contribution of the banking community to our country,” Executive Director of Kalyan Jewellers, Ramesh Kalyanaraman said in a statement.
The advertisement features Bachchan as an old man and Shweta Bachchan Nanda as his daughter. In the ad, Bachchan, depicted as a person with integrity and honesty, is seen visiting a bank branch along with his daughter to return the extra money credited in his pension account and his bitter encounter with bank employees in the process.
All India Bank Officers’ Confederation, an organisation claiming to have a membership of around 3,20,000 officers, last week threatened to sue Kalyan Jewellers accusing it of “casting aspersion and hurting the sentiments of millions of personnel” through the advertisement. Demanding an unconditional apology from the jewellery group, the AIBOC said if the advertisement was not withdrawn, suitable “organisational action, including dharnas and litigation” would be initiated.
The jewellery brand had earlier rejected the allegation, saying it was “pure fiction.” The brand does not intend to disrespect or malign any person or community’ before the advertisement,” it said.
