Posted On June 10, 2023

The advertisement, posted by the online food delivery platform, showed the character Kachra from the 2001 movie Lagaan, portrayed literally as Kachra (trash) made out of recycled waste items.

By Trending Desk|Edited by Joy Pillai

After facing backlash on various social media platforms, the online food delivery company Zomato has withdrawn an advertisement that depicted a Dalit character. The advertisement, posted by the online food delivery platform, showed the character Kachra from the 2001 movie Lagaan, portrayed literally as Kachra (trash) made out of recycled waste items. However, the portrayal of the character was deemed offensive to certain communities by the public.

The ad, released for World Environment Day, featured actor Aditya Lakhia, who gained fame for his role as Kachra in the movie Lagaan, which starred Aamir Khan in the lead role. The character Kachra, a disabled individual who faced social exclusion, later became an integral part of Bhuvan’s cricket team and helped them win a match against the British to escape the burden of land tax on the villagers.

Regarding Zomato’s intentions behind the advertisement, the company aimed to highlight its waste recycling efforts. In the ad, the character Kachra performed various tasks using recycled items such as a table, paper, a lamp, and a watering can. However, viewers interpreted it differently and criticized it for perpetuating stereotypes and dehumanizing tasks.

Following the massive backlash and calls for a boycott on the internet, Zomato decided to remove the controversial ad from all its social media platforms. Outraged netizens expressed their discontent with the online food delivery platform through various comments.

Zomato acknowledged that it had unintentionally hurt certain communities with its advertisement and promptly took action to address the issue.

“On world environment day, our intent was to spread awareness about the potential of plastic waste and benefits of recycling in a humorous way. Unintentionally, we may have hurt the sentiments of certain communities and individuals. We have taken down the video,” Zomato said.

Courtesy : India.com