Srinagar, Nov 23: A popular hosiery brand is attracting criticism from netizens after it latest advertisement shows a thief snatching the belongings of tourists in Kashmir.
The ad, in which actor Maniesh Paul is apparently seen in one of the Mughal gardens , shows a man snatching away the sweater from the actor while the latter is taking a selfie with his female partner.
Following it the actor is shown running after the ‘thief’ as he scrambles to one of the wooden ghats on the shores of Dal Lake.
Instead of reprimanding the thief, the actor is seen taking off his woolen clothes and giving them too the thief with a tagline “Dollar Ultra haina, kuch extra nahi chahiye (I have Dollar ultra, I don’t need anything extra).”
The advertisement didn’t go down well with the Twitterati who pointed out that it portrayed Kashmir in a bad light even as the place has the lowest crime rate, especially against tourists, across India.
HAPPY TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL MY LATEST CAMPAIGN OF DOLLAR THERMALS… @DOLLARBIGBOSS DIRECTED BY @NONU_CHIDIYA
DOLLAR ULTRA HAI NA, TOH KUCH EXTRA NAI CHAHIYE…
DOLLAR ULTRA THERMALS IS ALL SET TO KEEP YOU WARM #DILSE
TUNE INTO WATCH THE LATEST TVC OF DOLLAR ULTRA THERMALS PIC.TWITTER.COM/EAUNVT8AWT
— Maniesh Paul (@ManishPaul03) November 20, 2020
The netizens have demanded that the advertisement promoting ‘Dollar thermals’ be pulled down.
“This ad portrays Kashmiris as thieves. Kashmir has the lowest crime rate toward tourists and is comparable to European countries in terms of safety,” tweeted Shehla Rashid.
.@DOLLARBIGBOSS @MANISHPAUL03 THIS AD PORTRAYS KASHMIRIS AS THIEVES. KASHMIR HAS THE LOWEST CRIME RATE TOWARD TOURISTS AND IS COMPARABLE TO EUROPEAN COUNTRIES IN TERMS OF SAFETY.
ALSO, WE HAVE OUR OWN THERMALS BRAND ‘OOSHIN’
THANKS @DRMALIKADIL FOR FLAGGING THIS TONE-DEAF AD. HTTPS://T.CO/X86STTFWSZ
Another Twitter user, Muzamil Maqbool reacted: “This ad script is too offensive for people of kashmir. This projects and sets a wrong paradigm among masses. Kashmir has been a no 1 safe destination for tourists across the globe. We make our local and foreign tourists feel at home. We share love and peace with dignity and honour. @VKG_dollar@DollarBigboss should pull this ad down with an apology to the people of Kashmir.”
THIS AD SCRIPT IS TOO OFFENSIVE FOR PEOPLE OF KASHMIR. THIS PROJECTS AND SETS A WRONG PARADIGM AMONG MASSES. KASHMIR HAS BEEN A NO 1 SAFE DESTINATION FOR TOURISTS ACROSS THE GLOBLE. PIC.TWITTER.COM/PLSV2VDH2A
— Muzamil Maqbool( No School Till Vaccine) (@MuzamilBalkhi) November 21, 2020
WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO CONVEY THROUGH THIS AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF BEAUTY OF KASHMIR. KASHMIRIS DESERVE RESPECT NOT THESE KIND OF ADVERTISEMENTS.
— arun joshi (@ajoshi57) November 22, 2020
KASHMIRI’S DON’T WEAR CHEAP CLOTHES LIKE #DOLLAR & WE DON’T STEAL WE OFFER INSTEAD #REMOVEADD
— Amaan Wani (@amaanwani18) November 22, 2020
