Kriti Sanon’s Rakhi Ad Blouse Became a 6-Person Primetime Debate

Kriti Sanon has revisited one of the oddest chapters of her recent career: a Raksha Bandhan commercial that ended with her festive blouse being dissected on prime-time television. In a new promo for Kareena Kapoor Khan’s What Women Want Season 6, she admits the scale of the reaction took her by surprise. She notes that a garment she wore on screen became the kind of topic usually reserved for hard news.

“I couldn’t believe… when my choli had become like a 6-person panel discussion on prime-time news,” Kriti told Kareena. The host’s reaction was a wide-eyed “I know.”

How a festive ad became a news debate

The controversy started after jewellery brand GIVA released its Raksha Bandhan campaign starring Kriti. In the film, she wears an Indo-Western outfit while tying a rakhi on her brother and her pet dog. Some viewers argued the look was inappropriate for a traditional festival and questioned the ad’s portrayal of the occasion.

The internet response split sharply. A section of social media called the look unsuitable for a traditional festival, while another section felt the criticism was out of proportion. That division meant the ad was never really discussed as an ad; it became a referendum on what women should wear.

Following the backlash, GIVA removed the commercial. The brand later explained that it took the ad down to ensure the safety of its teams and stores. That detail matters: this was not simply a styling disagreement, but a pressure campaign serious enough for a brand to step back.

Kriti’s response, from Instagram to primetime

Kriti has spoken about the row across different moments, and her message has stayed steady:

• On What Women Want: She said she never imagined her choli would become a six-person panel discussion on prime-time news.
• In her Instagram note: She asked when women will stop being told what to wear, writing that “culture and traditions are in her heart, not in her neckline.”
• In a reshared post: She rejected the “Men vs Women” framing and called out patriarchal and misogynistic attitudes.

The bigger question she is asking

Kriti’s original note went beyond one outfit. She argued that ethnic fashion has evolved, yet a woman’s respect for her culture is still measured by clothes. That is the real question hanging over the ad: why is a festive garment treated as a moral test?

For fans and marketers, the GIVA episode is a reminder of how quickly an everyday campaign can become a culture-war story. A simple Raksha Bandhan idea turned into a debate about brand safety, public pressure and the policing of women’s clothing, with the actor left to defend a neckline she never expected to be news. Her refusal to back down is why the conversation has stayed alive long after the ad disappeared.

Source: Mid-day

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#Bollywood#clothing policing#GIVA#Kareena Kapoor Khan#Kriti Sanon#Raksha Bandhan ad#What Women Want