'Dil Bechara' fame actress Sanjana Sanghi has stoked a controversy after an advertisement featuring her has irked social media users.
The actress, who became a national crush overnight after the release of her debut film, recently appeared in an advertisement to promote an OTT platform. However, the concept of the advertisement did not go down well with netizens who slammed it for promoting violence among men and termed it as 'sexist'.
Some social media users even went to the extent of stating that the concept and 'misandry' in the ad were 'reprehensible'.
For the unversed, on December 2, Lionsgate Play streaming app shared their latest commercial featuring actress Sanjana Sanjhi wherein the star can be seen seated comfortably on a bed with her partner, both deciding which show to watch.
Are you going this crazy while picking what to watch? We have a solution for your confusion! Now, #PlayMoreBrowseLess with the new Lionsgate Play app. Download and get a free trial for 14 days. pic.twitter.com/fenIdN1kNT
— Lionsgate Play (@lionsgateplay) December 2, 2020
Failing to come to a decision, when the man says how hard it is to find what to watch, Sanjana responds by asking what should they do, the male actor says that she should be the one saying what they should do next. That's when Sanjana is seen slapping the male actor eight times in order to decide which movie they should watch.
Following the release of the advertisement, many criticised the streaming app for showing violence and being insensitive.
Reacting to the advertisement, actress Pooja Bedi also voiced her opinion. Taking to Twitter, she wrote, "Absolutely HORRIFIED 2 watch this advt. Domestic violence against men is NOT acceptable. What if a man was slapping a woman in this advt? This should NEVER CLEAR an advertising board! #men have rights."
Absolutely HORRIFIED 2 watch this advt. Domestic violence against men is NOT acceptable. What if a man was slapping a woman in this advt? This should NEVER CLEAR an advertising board! #men have rights! #domesticviolence@sharmarekha @smritiirani @DeepikaBhardwaj @amitdeshmra https://t.co/9yph7VMuAw
— Pooja Bedi (@poojabeditweets) December 9, 2020
Netizens too came down heavily on the ad-makers, slammed the commercial for promoting domestic violence against men and demanded a ban on it.
"Imagine the guy slapping the girl to decide which tv show to watch. Violence against men also is an offence!! @ascionline please take notice of this advertisement," wrote a Twitter user.
"Disgusting AD which promotes domestic violence against men. Please repeal this ad from all media and publish an unconditional apology to the audience," wrote another.
"This is violence against men!!!! Remove this," tweeted another social media user.
"Promoting domestic violence against men. Pathetic..Deplorable..Shameful..," tweeted yet another user.
Check out the tweets here:
Promoting domestic violence against men. Pathetic..Deplorable..Shameful..
— Agent Nick (@insanelonda) December 6, 2020
This is violence against men!!!! Remove this
— Ashish Virmani (@AshishBest2014) December 6, 2020
Disgusting AD which promotes Domestic Violence against men . Please repeal this ad from all media and publish unconditional apology to the audience .
— Ekalavya (@Ekalavya230) December 9, 2020
Imagine the guy slapping the girl to decide which tv show to watch. Violence against men also is an offence!! @ascionline please take notice of this advertisement
— Prithvi Burgula (@PrithviBurgula) December 8, 2020
This ad promotes https://t.co/aPOmxUj5o6 actually does not matter who the oppressor is.If a guy is jailed for Domestic Violence or IPV then a woman should also be charged for it.I dont know why people think that it is a proud thing if a woman can hit a man .
— _LittleMissMess (@_LittleMissMes) December 10, 2020
Meanwhile, on the work front, Sanjana Sanghi will be next seen opposite Aditya Roy Kapur in 'Om: The Battle Within'. The actress will be seen doing high-octane action in her upcoming film.