Zomato eats crow after food delivery giant's 'Kachra' of a campaign causes outrage; video retracted

Zomato’s recent advertising campaign titled ‘Kachra’ has faced significant criticism from internet users due to its insensitivity. The advertisement, which aimed to promote waste recycling, received a barrage of negative comments online for drawing a parallel between the term ‘kachra’ (meaning waste) and the marginalised character named ‘Kachra’ from the Bollywood film Lagaan. The ad prominently featured Aditya Lakhia’s character ‘Kachra’ from Lagaan. Following the backlash and accusations of promoting casteism, Zomato removed the ad. The campaign intended to showcase the company’s efforts in contributing to the environment by adopting plastic-neutral deliveries. It portrayed the actor in various scenarios, symbolising recycling, such as a reused hand towel, a flower pot made from similar materials, and paper. The inclusion of the character in the advertising campaign aimed to shed light on the issue of food wastage and draw attention to the challenges faced by marginalised communities in society. As the criticism intensified, Zomato took down the campaign video from its YouTube channel. Neeraj Ghaywan, the director of the film Masaan, said, “#Kachra from #Lagaan was one of the most dehumanised voiceless depictions of Dalits ever in cinema. @zomato has used the same character and made a repulsive #casteist commercial. A human stool? Are you serious? Extremely insensitive!”

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