Surf Excel’s Holi advert is facing backlash in India, for the most bizzare of reasons. The beautifully-shot ad is being attacked for promoting interfaith harmony.
The brand Surf Excel is known for creating sentimental and thoughtful adverts. For the Hindu festival of Holi, the washing detergent brand created a commercial for their ‘Rang Laye Sang’ campaign.
You can watch the thoughtful ad here:
The advert highlighted Hindu-Muslim unity, and somehow that sentiment seems to have landed it in trouble.
The video features two children – a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy. In the advert, the Hindi girl protects her Muslim friend from being stained with colors as he has to pray at the mosque.
The ad received hate for promoting interfaith harmony.
#boycottSurfexcel because you also know that the add is humiliating Hinduism. And promoting love jehad. Gender selection and talking holi colour as "daag" is not acceptable by hindu because it is done intentionally. Gender selection could have been reverse also.
— मेरा भारत महान:वंदे मातरम् (@MBMRKDr) March 10, 2019
Twitterati clawed at the advert for being ‘Hindu-phobic.’
Some people even called for a Surf Excel boycott because they think the ad projects that Namaz is more important than Holi.
Some people were uncomfortable with the gender selection. They called for the roles to be reversed.
Exactly. Appropriating the colors of Holi as daag and insinuating the Hindu boys celebrating their festival as villains and the Muslim boy as a victim is terrible. The Muslim boy could've just asked any person to tell others to let him pass. #BoycottSurfExcel
— Jayvardhan Nangare (@jvn_28) March 11, 2019
There were people who appreciated it for its merits
While there was no shortage of bigots, thank God for sense and sensibility. Those with the acumen to understand the ad highly appreciated it.
https://twitter.com/sapanv/status/1104706932298993665?s=19
It's a beautiful ad. Shame on the bigots who are against it. #SurfExcel stand up against these communal idiots! https://t.co/IHOQo5ebgJ
— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) March 10, 2019
Such a beautiful ad. Watched it 10 times, left me smiling EVERY SINGLE TIME. Depicts India through the eyes of innocent/naughty/lovely kids 😍 Touched. Why attack #SurfExcel ? Why look for conspiracies everywhere? 🤔 https://t.co/6Iz5Ml92QT
— Manak Gupta (@manakgupta) March 10, 2019
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So what do we want to teach our children?
https://twitter.com/fayedsouza/status/1104744113033797632?s=19
Oh boy. Not really a fan of #SurfExcel the product or even #HLL. But will buy it now in solidarity!! #stopdivisiveness https://t.co/kAUoxb8cxG
— Sucheta Dalal (@suchetadalal) March 11, 2019
When you can re-create a burning train to promote hatred, why would you want to douse the fire with an advert on communal harmony https://t.co/WejU1tuogf
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) March 10, 2019
I am buying 2 extra 2 kilo pack of #SurfExcel for reminding us that we are nice people. And live naturally in relative harmony. And, kids know no barriers, until they are taught.
It will last me 6 months. but it is worth it to defeat haters.— Harini Calamur (@calamur) March 10, 2019
This #SurfExcel ad celebrating friendship between a Muslim boy & presumably Hindu girl is being attacked by Sanghi haters who view it through the lens of their communal patriarchal sexualised anxieties of 'love jihad'. Teach them a lesson in love, India! https://t.co/w4UajX6qBG
— Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) March 10, 2019
And the truth is told. This man got it.
There is nothing wrong in this ads. Why people take everything so seriously and make unnecessary interpretation .just cool always think simply.
— unknown (@unknown35721721) March 10, 2019
