Jewellery brand GIVA has withdrawn its latest Raksha Bandhan campaign featuring actor and brand ambassador Kriti Sanon after the advertisement drew widespread criticism online over her outfit and a scene showing her tying a rakhi to her pet dog. The controversy, which unfolded rapidly over the course of a single day, has since drawn in celebrities, family members, and even a political figure, turning a festive-season jewellery ad into one of the more talked-about advertising controversies of the year.
View this post on Instagram
What Sparked the Backlash
The trouble began after actor Kangana Ranaut criticised the campaign through an Instagram Story, without directly naming either Sanon or GIVA. Ranaut questioned why someone would tie a rakhi to a sibling while dressed in what she described as “bikini/under garments,” calling the ad “intentionally creepy.” The comments quickly gained traction online, with the campaign’s blend of Western-style outfit choices and a pet-inclusive Raksha Bandhan moment becoming the center of debate.
GIVA responded by withdrawing the advertisement “from all media,” issuing a statement that read, in part: “We have the highest regard and deep respect for Indian culture, traditions and festivals… If our recent advertisement has inadvertently hurt the sentiments of some segments of society, that was not our intent at all.” The brand explained that its intention had been to extend the spirit of Raksha Bandhan celebrations to pets as part of the family. That statement is the Instagram post embedded above.
Sanon pushed back on the criticism directly through her own Instagram Story, writing that “the essence of festivals is not in the clothes you wear, it is in the emotions and meaning you hold for the traditions.” (Note: her response was shared as an Instagram Story, which expires after 24 hours and doesn’t have a permanent embeddable link — so it can’t be embedded here the way GIVA’s static post can.) She also questioned the recurring scrutiny placed on women’s clothing choices, adding, “When will we stop telling women what to wear?? Culture & Traditions are in her heart, not in her neckline!” On the pet angle specifically, Sanon explained that Raksha Bandhan, for her, symbolizes a bond of protection — one she extends to her dogs because “they are family.”
Family, Politics, and a Familiar Pattern in Festive Advertising
Her sister Nupur Sanon also came to her defense publicly, sharing the actor’s statement and adding her own pointed response: “Imagine being this bothered by what another woman chooses to wear. Respectfully EVOLVE!” She noted that she herself is the one who receives the rakhi from Kriti each year and had no objection to the ad.
The conversation eventually drew in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who shared Sanon’s statement on his own Instagram Story, writing, “What a woman wears, what she does and where she goes — is her choice. Stop trolling women for exercising their freedom,” alongside the hashtag #SmashThePatriarchy — pushing the story well beyond entertainment and marketing circles and into broader public discourse.
GIVA’s decision to withdraw the campaign places it alongside a growing list of Indian advertisements that have faced backlash for reinterpreting cultural and festive traditions in ways some audiences found unfamiliar or objectionable. Manyavar’s ‘Kanyadaan’ campaign featuring Alia Bhatt, Tanishq’s interfaith wedding advertisement, and Dabur’s same-sex Karva Chauth campaign have all previously triggered similar controversies, each ultimately either modified or withdrawn after public pressure.
What makes the GIVA case notable is the personal stake involved: Sanon isn’t simply a paid endorser for the brand — she is also a strategic investor in the company, giving her a deeper vested interest in how the controversy is resolved and how it affects the brand’s reputation going forward. For GIVA, the episode is a reminder of how quickly festive-season advertising can become a lightning rod when it touches on clothing choices, family tradition, or unconventional interpretations of familiar rituals — even when the stated intent, as the brand describes it, was simply to be inclusive of pets as family members.
Must Reads: