Hrithik Roshan is ‘shocked’ by ‘insensitive’ perfume ads: ‘Kudos to the viewers for calling it out’

On Sunday actor Hrithik Roshan took to his Instagram stories and reacted to the perfume advertisements that allegedly promoted rape culture. After several celebrities slammed the brand Layerr Shot, Hrithik wrote, “Shocked and appalled by the insensitivity of this commercial.” (Also read: Hrithik Roshan poses with ex-wife Sussanne Khan and her boyfriend Arslan Goni, calls her ‘superstar’)

“How could the entire team associated with this project think this was ok to make and showcase? Kudos to the viewers for calling it out and the regulatory bodies for taking appropriate action,” he added to the post. It all began when the two ads of a perfume created a storm on the internet after social media users slammed them for promoting sexual violence against women.

Joining them, Priyanka Chopra recently tweeted, “Shameful and disgusting. How many levels of clearances did it take for this commercial to be green lit. How many people thought this was ok? I’m so glad that it was called out and now the ministry has taken it down. Appalling!” Previously Farhan Akhtar, Richa Chadha, Swara Bhasker and Sona Mohapatra also condemned the ads on social media.

Following the outrage on social media, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has asked Twitter and YouTube to remove the advertisement videos from their social media platforms. In letters, the ministry said the videos were “detrimental to the portrayal of women in the interest of decency and morality” and in violation of Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code). They also added that the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has also found the videos in violation of its guidelines and asked the advertiser to suspend the advertisement, which was broadcasted on TV and web, on an immediate basis.