Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s latest Pakistani commercial for a washing machine brand has stirred up a hornet’s nest. Many people have criticised the leaked advertisement, dubbing it misogynist and sexist.
Check out the commercial here
In the ad, Nawaz is shown chilling with his male friends and having a laugh over his fight with his wife. He then brags about not tolerating his wife’s “attitude” and tells his friends, “Mera haath utth gaya, dhulayi ki.”
It’s quite clear what ‘dhulayi’ here means. Normalising domestic violence and making a joke is irresponsible to say the least.
Twitterati criticized both the company and actor for making light of a issue as serious as domestic violence.
Talking about hitting your wife or hitting anyone is not something that can be regarded as a joke or a frivolity.This is how mindsets harden https://t.co/vFoRomMZaK
— Mehr Tarar (@MehrTarar) May 8, 2017
Wife beating a source of pride for some men as per #KenwoodPakistan tv commercial.
What kind of ad is this @Nawazuddin_S ? https://t.co/10EXPLXHKv— Javeria Siddique (@javerias) May 7, 2017
Is this the typical Pakistani man? Misogyny is deeply rooted and at times expresses itself in seemingly ‘humorous’ forms. #KenwoodPakistan https://t.co/dQxOwVwRZO
— LubNaa (@LubnaSabir1) May 7, 2017
@yasmeen_9 @reportpemra @Baahirezaman @marvisirmed Such a pathetic ad. Should be banned at once! #KenwoodPakistan
— Nida (@NidaHaider1) May 7, 2017
Just saw the washing machine ad by #kenwood. *shakes head* Expected more from @Nawazuddin_S. 🤦🏾♀️👎🏾 Misogynistic attitudes still here.
— Anita Salhotra (@Anita_Sal) May 13, 2017
@Nawazuddin_S @irrfank pls stop endorsing & working wid #Pakistan as #India feels betrayd#Kenwood #HindiMedium #SabaQamar #DomesticViolence
— Sachin (@SachinDalmia) May 13, 2017
The company has since apologised for the leaked ad, admitting that their “judgment was flawed” and have requested that “all social media pages remove this ad as it has not been officially released or endorsed by Kenwood.”
Kenwood would like to clarify its position on the Washing Machine AD which made its way on social media as a result of a leak. #Kenwood pic.twitter.com/azWL2vd5GH
— Kenwood Pakistan (@KenwoodPakistan) May 8, 2017
.