A police complaint in Kolkata accuses actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui and a significant international beverage firm of insulting Bengalis in one of their most recent commercials.
According to the lawsuit, the “joke” that was cracked in the advertising is disrespectful and hurts the Bengali community. The petition was submitted by Calcutta High Court attorney Dibyayan Banerji.
The primary advertisement by the beverage juggernaut was in Hindi, according to the complaint, and the petitioner has no issues with that. The advertisement’s Bengali dubbing, which was airing on numerous TV networks and internet, was unpopular among many Bengalis.
One of the jokes reads in Bengali, “shoja anguley ghee na uthley, Bangali khali petey ghumiye porey,” and in the video, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui can be heard chuckling at it. If they can’t easily obtain food, Bengalis will sleep hungry, according to the English translation. Due to the accusation that it supposedly harms Bengali emotions, this section of the discourse has caused controversy.
The advertisement is based on the well-known Bengali proverb, “Shoja anguley ghee na uthley, angul bekatey hoy ,” for the uninitiated. It implies that you must go above and beyond to accomplish something if it cannot be done simply.
— Sprite India (@sprite_india) April 19, 2023
The beverage colossus expressed sorrow for its recent Bengali advertising campaign for Sprite on Twitter, writing in Bengali that they would immediately remove this unintended error from Bengali media.
Their business respects the Bengali language appropriately and takes pride in Coke Studio Bangla, which places a high value on the renown and honour of our Bengal.
Since there is nothing inappropriate in the Hindi advertisement, Dibyayan Banerji claims he has no issue with it. However, the Bengali translation is subject to both section 153 A of the Indian Penal Code and section 66A of the IT Act.
He added that gimmicks and acts of this nature should not be pushed in the future.
