BOOM May2015 | Page 18

ARTICLE Why the 'open letter' against 'racist' ad was addressed to Aishwarya Rai, not Kalyan Jewellers B efore the 'underage slave-child' surfaced in an unimaginative Kalyan Jewellers print advertisement holding a parasol as Aishwarya Rai pays tribute to her one expression in Devdas - there were no dearth of rotten stereotypes in Indian commercials and ads.Racial proļ¬ling, gender stereotypes, sexist jokes - apart from general stupidity - are recurrent motifs in Indian advertisements. For example, from detergent to bathroom cleaners, from utensil cleaning soaps to room fresheners, every product that has to do with scrubbing, cleaning and washing, inevitably has a female protagonist. They lazily endorse the idea that it is women who sh