Zomato takes down 'Kachra' campaign after being slammed on Twitter; says intent was to spread awareness on plastic waste

Food delivery platform Zomato on Thursday took down its recent campaign for World Environment Day after facing widespread criticism from netizens. The advertisement drew an analogy of kachra, which means waste or garbage, with a character from 2001 film 'Lagaan'.

Featuring Aditya Lakhia, who played 'Kachra' in Aamir Khan's Lagaan, the advertisement aimed to raise awareness around plastic waste. However, it came under fire for drawing comparison between the two- Kachra (waste or garbage) and the marginalised character.

For the unversed, Lakhia’s character in the film was belittled for his caste (he played a Dalit) to the extent that players from Bhuvan's team (Aamir) did not want him to be included in playing eleven. Relating with it, the ad was called out for being insensitive and casteist.

In its ad, Zomato showcases the Lagaan actor in different settings representing plastic waste or ‘kachra’.

Reacting to it, notable filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan, on Twitter, 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!"

While the ad campaign attempted to deliver the message that the company “recycles twice the amount of plastic it delivers, and keeps it out of the landfills”, users called the ad offensive.

"That is just so offensive. One has to wonder who these people are who created the advert, approved it and put it online without once thinking about it," Indian film director Madhureeta Anand wrote.

"Thank you for calling Zomato out on this! How did they think a better ‘environment’ will be created by degrading a person?," a Twitter user wrote.

Following the backlash, Zomato has taken down their ad and given out an official statement. "On world environment day, our intent was to spread awareness about the potential of plastic waste and benefits of recycling in a humorous way. Unintentionally, we may have hurt the sentiments of certain communities and individuals. We have taken down the video," it said in a tweet.

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