New Delhi: Matrimonial website Bharat Matrimony came under fire on Twitter over its latest video commercial on the occasion of Holi. Netizens have called out the website, accusing it of hurting Hindu sentiments by making an ad against Holi.
The video shows a woman washing her face which is full of Holi colours. As the colours fade, we see another face, radiating pain and unsettled anger – in reaction to misbehaviour and harassment meted out in the name of festivity. This video seeks to emphasise the need to make Holi safer for women by seeking their consent before celebrating with them and not use it as an excuse for any kind of physical assault.
Created in partnership with Wondrlab, the visual execution was inspired to bring to life this reality behind the festival of colours. Bhavesh Kosambia and Rahul Chandwani, content leads at Wondrlab said, “We were shocked to realize that so many women had in fact stopped playing Holi due to this behaviour.”
This Women's Day & Holi, let's celebrate by creating safer and more inclusive spaces for women. It's important to acknowledge the challenges that women face in public spaces and create a society that truly respects their well-being – today & forever.#BharatMatrimony #BeChoosy pic.twitter.com/9bqIXZqaXu
— Bharatmatrimony.com (@bharatmatrimony) March 8, 2023
But some users accused the matrimonial website of targeting a particular community while others praised it for raising an important issue. Soon, #BoycottBharatMatrimony started trending with Twitter users taking sides.
After the outcry, Bharat Matrimony deleted the video but posted it again later with a changed tweet text.
The viral ad triggered a massive outcry on social media, with #BoycottBharatMatrimony trending on Twitter.“#BoycottBharatMatrimony Shame on @bharatmatrimony for using a Hindu festival like #Holi to run their social awareness agenda”, a user tweeted.“A specific , bigoted, advertisement..Remove the ad asap..Before ur site is finished….#boycottbharatmatrimony”, a post read on Twitter.“Still I’ll boycott it for their Hinduphobic video. #BoycottBharatMatrimony”, a Twitter user commented.
