MUMBAI – A one-and-a-half minute long advertisement for a Kerala-basedjewellery chain featuring Amitabh Bachchan and his daughter has come underattack from a bank union which termed it “disgusting” and aimed at creatingdistrust in the banking system.
All India Bank Officers’ Confederation, an organisation claiming to havethe membership of around 3,20,000 officers, today threatened to sue KalyanJewellers accusing it of “casting aspersion and hurting the sentiments ofmillions of personnel” through the advertisement.
AIBOC general secretary Soumya Datta alleged that the theme, tone and tenorof the ad were “disgusting, derogatory, to say the least and is aimed tocreate distrust in the banking system, for pure commercial gain.”
Kalyan Jewellers rejected the allegation, saying it was “pure fiction.” “Weunderstand that your esteemed association feels that the bankers have beenportrayed in bad light. We state it on record that it is a pure fiction andat no point, have we intended to generalise the bank officers at large,”Kalyan jewellers said in a letter to Datta.
“Please accept our unconditional disclaimer for the same. We shall withinthree working days from today add characters and situations depicted arefictional. The brand does not intend to disrespect or malign any person orcommunity’ before the advertisement,” it said.
The advertisement features Bachchan as an old man and Shweta Bachchan Nandaas his daughter.
Bachchan is seen visiting a bank branch along with his daughter to returnthe extra money credited in his pension account and his bitter encounterwith bank employees in the process.
“The advertisement portrays banks in a bad light, casting aspersion,hurting the sentiment of millions of personnel, stakeholders and is adirect attempt to ruin the trust and confidence of billions of citizenriesin banks,” Datta said.
Bachchan had tweeted yesterday the video of the ad, saying “Emotionalmoment for me .. tears welling up every time I see it…daughters are thebest!”
AIBOC said that while Bachchan tries to exhibit his honesty, he was“perhaps was unaware that in the process of doing so on screen, he has madea mockery of the entire bankers’ community in the ad which is deplorableand culpable.”
Datta said “we express our strong resentment against the management ofKalyan Jewellers and Mr Bachchan who have manifested a negative and falseimage of the Banks in the ad for their personal aggrandisement.”
“We deem it as a case of defamation to all the banks as a whole,” it said.
Demanding an unconditional apology from the jewellery group, the AIBOC saidif the advertisement was not withdrawn, suitable “organisational action,including dharnas and litigation” would be initiated.
Abraham Shaji John, AIBOC’s Kerala unit secretary, also condemned theadvertisement, saying “it has defamed bank employees.”