Actor Kriti Sanon has responded to claims that she was ‘inappropriately dressed’ in a Giva Raksha Bandhan ad.

The film in question is available on Mantra Pixels, a post-production house’s YouTube page, but at the time of filing this story, it was not available on Giva’s official social media pages. The campaign was conceptualised in-house.

Sanon, who was criticised for her choice of clothing, took to Instagram to address the criticism and set the record straight.

She said: “The essence of festivals is not in the clothes you wear, it is in the emotions and meaning you hold for the traditions. Raksha Bandhan is a bond of protection. My sister and I tie rakhi to each other. We know we can protect each other no less than a brother would have. We pray for each other’s health, happiness and long life. And for us, this prayer and promise extends to our dogs too! After all, they are family! Also, when will we stop telling women what to wear?? Ethnic fashion has evolved over the years, but still a woman’s respect for her culture is measured with just her clothes!! Culture and traditions are in her heart, not in her neckline!”

Giva issued a statement too.

"We have the highest regard and deep respect for Indian culture, traditions and festivals. As a brand, we have always believed in celebrating these joyous moments with the entire family and this time we wanted to extend the love and celebration to our pets.
If our recent advertisement has inadvertently hurt the sentiments of some segments of society, that was not our intent at all.
Out of respect, we have withdrawn the said advertisement from all media. Wish you all the love & positivity this festive season!"

The statement comes after its Pune store was attacked. 

View the film here.