Smiling Bipasha Basu lies on the couch on her stomach, looking away from the camera. He is in his inner garment. A hunky Dino Morea, bare-torso and just in his shorts, hovers over him, trying to pull his underwear off with his teeth. It’s hard to miss the sexual undertones in the picture. The year was 1998. And the winds of change brought about by the liberalization of 1991 were blowing in the country, when Swiss innerwear brand Cadila dropped this ad-bomb on the country. The ad sparked the hacking of some women’s organizations and was later withdrawn. India’s emerging middle class also did not find Cadila a good fit and the company’s products disappeared from the country. But the ad – bold and beautiful – remained in our memory as an example of the raw sexuality packaged as a promotional campaign.
Fast forward to 2021. This is a new India, they tell us. The rules have changed. And social media sets the agenda. Dabur India, a household name at home and abroad, came to know when it tried to push the envelope of creativity and inclusivity with its Fem Cream Bleach ad. The ad, set against the backdrop of Karva Chauth, shows two women celebrating the Hindu festival for couples – applying bleach to each other and then looking at each other through a sieve. There was a stir on social media. Many praised the company for its “progressive” advertising, but many others lashed out at Dabur for promoting same-sex relationships, which they described as a mockery of “Hinduism and Hindu festivals”. A minister from Madhya Pradesh had also threatened legal action. Dabur took down the ad from Dabur and apologized. The company – an icon of the ‘Made in India’ brand – said it “strives for diversity, inclusion and equality” and added that it does not intend to “injure any beliefs, customs and traditions, religious or otherwise.” to deliver”.
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