Bank Union: Amitabh Bachchan & Shweta Nanda’s Jewellery Ad Is Disgusting & Derogatory
A one-and-a-half minute long advertisement for a Kerala-based jewellery chain featuring Amitabh Bachchan and his daughter has come under attack from a bank union which termed it “disgusting”.
News
oi-Staff
By Staff
Recommended
Video
Amitabh
Bachchan's
Jewellery
Ad
with
daughter
Shweta
Nanda
makes
Bank
Union
Angry
|
FilmiBeat
A
one-and-a-half
minute
long
advertisement
for
a
Kerala-based
jewellery
chain
featuring
Amitabh
Bachchan
and
his
daughter
has
come
under
attack
from
a
bank
union
which
termed
it
"disgusting"
and
aimed
at
creating
distrust
in
the
banking
system.
All
India
Bank
Officers' Confederation,
an
organisation
claiming
to
have
a
membership
of
around
3,20,000
officers,
threatened
to
sue
the
jewellery
brand
accusing
it
of
"casting
aspersion
and
hurting
the
sentiments
of
millions
of
personnel"
through
the
advertisement.
AIBOC
general
secretary
Soumya
Datta
alleged
that
the
theme,
tone
and
tenor
of
the
Ad
were
"disgusting,
derogatory,
to
say
the
least,
and
is
aimed
to
create
distrust
in
the
banking
system,
for
pure
commercial
gain." The
brand
rejected
the
allegation,
saying
it
was
"pure
fiction."
"We
understand
that
your
esteemed
association
feels
that
the
bankers
have
been
portrayed
in
bad
light.
We
state
it
on
record
that
it
is
a
pure
fiction
and
at
no
point,
we
have
intended
to
generalise
the
bank
officers
at
large," the
jewellery
brand
said
in
a
letter
to
Datta.
"Please
accept
our
unconditional
disclaimer
for
the
same.
We
shall
within
three
working
days
from
today
add
'characters
and
situations
depicted
are
fictional.
The
brand
does
not
intend
to
disrespect
or
malign
any
person
or
community'
before
the
advertisement,"
it
said.
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.
"The
advertisement
portrays
banks
in
a
bad
light,
casting
aspersion,
hurting
the
sentiment
of
millions
of
personnel,
stakeholders
and
is
a
direct
attempt
to
ruin
the
trust
and
confidence
of
billions
of
citizenries
in
banks,"
Datta
said.
Bachchan
had
tweeted
yesterday
the
video
of
the
ad,
saying
"Emotional
moment
for
me
-
tears
welling
up
every
time
I
see
it
-
daughters
are
the
best
!!"
Popular
Malayalam
actress
Manju
Warrier
acts
as
his
daughter
in
the
advertisement's
Malayalam
version.
AIBOC
said
in
the
ad,
Bachchan
tries
to
exhibit
his
honesty
by
drumming
around
that
'Honesty
doesn't
mean
when
everyone
is
watching,
rather
it
is
about
being
honest
when
nobody
is
looking
at
you.
But,
Mr
Bachchan
perhaps
was
unaware
that
in
the
process
of
doing
so
on
screen,
he
has
made
a
mockery
of
the
entire
bankers' community
in
the
ad
which
is
deplorable
and
culpable,"
it
said
in
a
statement.
Datta
said
"we
express
our
strong
resentment
against
the
management
and
Mr
Bachchan
who
have
manifested
a
negative
and
false
image
of
the
Banks
in
the
ad
for
their
personal
aggrandisement.
We
deem
it
as
a
case
of
defamation
to
all
the
banks
as
a
whole,"
it
said.
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.
Abraham
Shaji
John,
AIBOC's
Kerala
unit
secretary,
also
condemned
the
advertisement,
saying
"it
has
defamed
bank
employees."
PTI