Food delivery aggregator Zomato on Sunday said it has withdrawn an advertisement starring actor Hrithik Roshan after it was alleged that it hurts the religious sentiments of Hindus.
“We offer our sincerest apologies, for the intent here was never to hurt anyone’s beliefs and sentiments,” the company said in a statement.
The controversy began on Saturday after priests of the Mahakaleshwar temple in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain objected to the advertisement in which the actor says he felt like having a “thali” (food platter) in Ujjain so he ordered it from “Mahakal”.
“Mahakal temple does not deliver any thali. Zomato and Hrithik Roshan must apologize for this ad,” priest Mahesh Sharma said, according to the Business Standard. “The company has made misleading publicity about the Mahakal temple in its advertisement. The company should think before issuing such advertisements.”
The priests also approached Ujjain Collector Ashish Singh, who is the chairman of the Mahakal temple trust, and sought action against the company. Several Twitter users had also called for a boycott of Zomato.
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra had also issued directives to the police to look into the controversy, according to PTI.
On Sunday, Zomato, however, clarified that the ad referenced the Mahakal Restaurant of the city and not the Mahakaleshwar temple.
“Mahakal Restaurant is one of our high-order-volume restaurant partners in Ujjain and thali is a recommended item on its menu,” Zomato said. “The video is part of its pan-India campaign for which we identified top local restaurants and their top dishes based on popularity in each city.”
It added: “We deeply respect the sentiments of the people of Ujjain and the ad in question is no longer running.”
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!