 "Why a Kerala hospital had to apologise for using a photo of Morgan Freeman in an advertisement")
A hospital in Kerala was in the news over the last two days and not for the right reasons.
The Vadakara cooperative hospital in Kozhikode district of Kerala had to apologise after it faced backlash for using a photograph of Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman to promote their services.
Here’s what we know of the story so far:
On Sunday, the medical institution in Kozhikode district came under fire when an advertisement they had displayed at their premises caused a storm.
The Vadakara cooperative hospital put up a poster using a photo of the 84-year-old actor to advertise several services including the removal of skin tags, warts, milia and more.
The ad, which has since been taken down, read, “Get your skin tags, DPNs, warts, milia, molluscum and comedones removed through simple procedures easily in a single visit”.
The photo swiftly went viral and netizens expressed their disgust over such an incident.
At least those doctors working there should have noticed and made them removed the banner.
— Anas (@XbyAnas) January 31, 2022
This is grossly unfortunate that those who decided to use Mr. Freeman's picture probably didn't know the calibre of him as an actor and as a human.
— Sethu Hari (@ChindanTweets) January 31, 2022
Quick Reads
View AllFilm critic GP Ramachandran also took to social media, blasting the hospital, saying it was a ‘disgrace and an insult to the great co-operative sector in Kerala’.
Author Sree Parvathy went on to list Morgan Freeman’s impressive and extensive filmography in a bid to introduce the Oscar-winning actor. “Those who lifted the picture of Morgan from the internet failed to identify the Oscar winning actor and went by his skin colour, the rashes on his face and his African-American heritage,” she wrote.
Hospital apologises
The hospital, realising its mistake, tendered an apology, saying it was a mistake.
In a press release, the hospital said, “The picture on the billboard of the dermatology department of Vadakara Co-operative Hospital is an unintentional mistake. The board was removed and action was taken as soon as it was brought to our notice. The billboard image has become a controversial topic on social media and we tender unconditional apologies if it has hurt anyone in any way.”
Hospital officials told Asianet News Online that the ad was created by an outside advertising agency and that they did not know who was in the picture. They confessed that the ad was not intended to create a controversy and that what happened was due to the ignorance of those who prepared the ad and failed to identify Morgan Freeman.
Mistaken identity
This is not the first time Freeman’s image has been the centre of controversy. In 2013, Freeman was mistaken for Nelson Mandela and the actor’s image was used on a billboard to pay homage to the African leader.
With inputs from agencies
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