In the latest latest development to the controversy surrounding Kalyan Jewellers' new television commercial featuring Amitabh Bachchan and daughter Shweta Nanda, the brand has apologised to the bank union, and has taken the decision to withdraw the ad with immediate effect. The decision was taken on Sunday late night, and according to the company, most channels have asked for a day or two to rework on their ad plan. Last week, Kalyan Jewellers following the backlash from the bank union had agreed to put a disclaimer.

The ad executed by L&K Saatchi & Saatchi has been facing a backlash from a bank union, All India Bank Officers' Confederation who have referred it as 'disgusting' and had threatened to sue the brand for “casting aspersion and hurting the sentiments of millions of personnel” through the advertisement. Kalyan Jewellers Issues Statement on Controversial Ad Featuring Amitabh Bachchan & Shweta Nanda, Agrees to Put a Disclaimer

In a letter written to the bank union, a copy of which is with LatestLY, Kalyan Jewellers has clarified that the ad is a work of pure fiction and at no time, the ad has intended to generalise the bank officers at large. The bank has apologised for any such hurtful interpretation, and regret the inadvertent hurt caused and will therefore withdraw the commercial from all media with immediate effect.

Read the statement here

Kalyan Jewellers' latest statement to the media

The ad shows Bachchan as an honest retired government servant who refuses to accept the extra pension which seems to have been credited to his account by mistake. He, therefore, goes along with his daughter to the bank to return the extra amount. The father-daughter duo is made to go from one counter to the other, and the bank manager finally tells them, that it is a lengthy procedure, and to go home. The manager even asks why are they taking so much of an effort, because no one will also come to know that his pension was credited twice, to which Bachchan mentions that it is about trust, and he return the money.

Watch the ad here

A similar incident took place in 2015 when Kalyan Jewellers' print ad featuring Aishwarya Rai was slammed and termed racist for showing a dark-complexioned boy holding an umbrella under which the actress was seen resting. The ad was also withdrawn following the backlash.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 23, 2018 11:07 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).