Kriti Sanon’s Rakhi ad withdrawn amid online trolling over her outfit

Jewellery brand GIVA has withdrawn its Raksha Bandhan advertisement featuring Kriti Sanon, a day after the actress defended the campaign and questioned why women’s cultural values continued to be judged by their clothing.

The advertisement showed Sanon wearing an ivory bralette-style blouse, draped skirt and cape while celebrating Raksha Bandhan with her brother and their pet dog. She was seen tying a rakhi to her brother before placing another around the dog’s leg, extending the festival’s message of love and protection to pets as members of the family.

The campaign, however, attracted criticism from some social media users who objected to Sanon’s outfit and described it as inappropriate for a traditional festival. Others questioned the depiction of a rakhi being tied to a dog.

Issuing a statement on Wednesday, the brand said it held Indian culture, traditions and festivals in the highest regard. It explained that the campaign had sought to include pets in the family celebration. GIVA replaced the Sanon Ad with two more advertisements that showed the characters in Indian festive attire.

“If our recent advertisement has inadvertently hurt the sentiments of some segments of society, that was not our intent at all,” the company said, announcing that it had removed the advertisement from all media platforms.

The withdrawal came after Sanon firmly defended the campaign and women’s right to decide what they wear.

“The essence of festivals is not in the clothes you wear, it is in the emotions and meaning you hold for the traditions,” she wrote on Instagram.

Sanon explained that Raksha Bandhan represents a promise of protection in her family and is not limited by conventional gender roles. She said she and her sister tie rakhis to each other because they are equally capable of protecting one another.

“We pray for each other’s health, happiness and long life. And for us, this prayer and promise extends to our dogs too! After all, they are family,” she said.

The actress also challenged the tendency to use women’s clothing as a measure of their respect for Indian culture.

“When will we stop telling women what to wear?” Sanon asked, adding that ethnic fashion had evolved while women continued to be judged by their appearance. “Culture and traditions are in her heart, not in her neckline,” she said.

Sanon received support from Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who shared her statement on Instagram Stories and spoke out against the online policing of women’s choices.

“What a woman wears, what she does and where she goes – is her choice. Stop trolling women for exercising their freedom,” Gandhi wrote.

The controversy also drew a response from actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, who criticised Sanon’s outfit and argued that personal freedom should be accompanied by certain boundaries. She described the campaign’s styling as “intentionally creepy”.

As reactions intensified, the discussion expanded beyond the advertisement to questions of women’s autonomy, changing expressions of tradition and whether an individual’s cultural commitment can be assessed through her clothes.

Sanon maintained that the meaning of a festival lies in the emotions, relationships and promises it represents—not in the neckline or style of the clothes worn while celebrating it.