Bharat Matrimony's Holi ad flagging women's harassment sparks controversy

In an attempt to highlight the issue of harassment faced by women during Holi, the commercial urged the masses to create safer and more inclusive spaces for women as they celebrate the festival of colours.

New Delhi: Bharat Matrimony's latest video commercial that addresses the social issue of harassment during Holi has laid a breeding ground for a fresh controversy as several people have accused the matrimonial site to have hurt the Hindu religious sentiments through the advertisement.

• This Women's Day & Holi, let's celebrate by creating safer and more inclusive spaces for women. It's important to acknowledge the challenges that women face in public spaces and create a society that truly respects their well-being - today & forever.#BharatMatrimony #BeChoosy pic.twitter.com/9bqIXZqaXu

  — Bharatmatrimony.com (@bharatmatrimony) March 8, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  This Women's Day & Holi, let's celebrate by creating safer and more inclusive spaces for women. It's important to acknowledge the challenges that women face in public spaces and create a society that truly respects their well-being - today & forever.#BharatMatrimony #BeChoosy pic.twitter.com/9bqIXZqaXu

  — Bharatmatrimony.com (@bharatmatrimony) March 8, 2023

  ">

  This Women's Day & Holi, let's celebrate by creating safer and more inclusive spaces for women. It's important to acknowledge the challenges that women face in public spaces and create a society that truly respects their well-being - today & forever.#BharatMatrimony #BeChoosy pic.twitter.com/9bqIXZqaXu

  — Bharatmatrimony.com (@bharatmatrimony) March 8, 2023

The controversy erupted after Bharat Matrimony released the video commercial on the eve of the Hindu festival of Holi celebrated on March 8 this year, which coincidentally fell on the same day as International Women's Day. In an attempt to highlight the issue of harassment faced by women during Holi, the commercial urged the masses to create safer and more inclusive spaces for women as they celebrate the festival of colours.

"This Women's Day & Holi, let's celebrate by creating safer and more inclusive spaces for women. It's important to acknowledge the challenges that women face in public spaces and create a society that truly respects their well-being - today & forever," the caption of the 75-second-long video posted from the official Twitter handle of Bharat Matrimony reads.

The video shows a woman with her face covered in colours of Holi. But as she splashes water on her face and the yellows and reds on it drain off, the screen shows her face severely bruised in several places, implying she is a survivor of physical abuse. The sub-captions in the video read, "Some colours don't wash away easily. A third of women who've faced this trauma, have stopped playing Holi."

The video met with immediate backlash from users, claiming it to be an attempt to 'demean the Hindu festival'. "Are you guys shameless or what? Don't you want Hindu customers or you don't care about Hindu customers? Remove your ad from all your platforms and put an unconditional apology otherwise, a champion against your company will start by Hindus," wrote a user.

• Are you guys shameless or what? Don't you want Hindu customers or you don't care about Hindu customers?
  
  Remove your ad from all your platforms and put an unconditional apology otherwise, a champion against your company will start by Hindus.

  — Vijay Patel🇮🇳 (@vijaygajera) March 8, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  Are you guys shameless or what? Don't you want Hindu customers or you don't care about Hindu customers?
  
  Remove your ad from all your platforms and put an unconditional apology otherwise, a champion against your company will start by Hindus.

  — Vijay Patel🇮🇳 (@vijaygajera) March 8, 2023

  ">

  Are you guys shameless or what? Don't you want Hindu customers or you don't care about Hindu customers?
  
  Remove your ad from all your platforms and put an unconditional apology otherwise, a champion against your company will start by Hindus.

  — Vijay Patel🇮🇳 (@vijaygajera) March 8, 2023

"You guys are absolutely disgusting. How dare you link a social message with the Hindu festival of Holi. What has domestic abuse got to do with Holi? Have u lost your mind? You obviously don’t want Hindu customers. btw, u should focus on what happens on your awful site," wrote another. The #BoycottBharatMatrimony and #ShameonBharatMatrimony trended on social media.

• You guys are absolutely disgusting. How dare you link a social message with the Hindu festival of Holi. What has domestic abuse got to do with Holi?Have u lost your mind? You obviously don’t want Hindu customers. btw, u should focus on what happens on your awful site.

  — Priya Rana (@PriyaKumariRana) March 8, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  You guys are absolutely disgusting. How dare you link a social message with the Hindu festival of Holi. What has domestic abuse got to do with Holi?Have u lost your mind? You obviously don’t want Hindu customers. btw, u should focus on what happens on your awful site.

  — Priya Rana (@PriyaKumariRana) March 8, 2023

  ">

  You guys are absolutely disgusting. How dare you link a social message with the Hindu festival of Holi. What has domestic abuse got to do with Holi?Have u lost your mind? You obviously don’t want Hindu customers. btw, u should focus on what happens on your awful site.

  — Priya Rana (@PriyaKumariRana) March 8, 2023

Even as the video soon became viral and triggered a massive outcry, some also came in support of the ad. "This is indeed very brave of @bharatmatrimony. Festivals cannot and should not be a traumatic experience. Respect and Consent are vital and what better than the #WomensDay to send this message out to all those men who abuse, harm and disrespect women," tweeted one user.

"Some people are very angry about this video. But thanks to @bharatmatrimony for raising this sensitive topic. Illiterate people can neither understand nor want to understand," tweeted another.

A day earlier, online food delivery app Swiggy was also called out by netizens over a billboard ad for Instamart that featured eggs and read, "Omelette; Sunny side-up; Kisi ke sarr par. #BuraMatKhelo. Get Holi essentials on Instamart." People had slated the advertisement as an attempt to put the festival of Holi in a bad light.