Kriti Sanon’s Raksha Bandhan Ad Pulled Down: What Happened And Why Kangana Ranaut, Rahul Gandhi Got Involved
From criticism of Kriti Sanon’s outfit and the pet-rakhi sequence to reactions from Kangana Ranaut and Rahul Gandhi, here is how GIVA’s Raksha Bandhan advertisement became a major controversy.
Aug 26, 2026 12:43 IST
Last Updated On
Aug 26, 2026 12:55 IST
A jewellery advertisement designed to celebrate sibling bonds arrived with adorable rakhis, a pet dog and a fashion-forward festive look. It ended up opening an unexpectedly heated conversation about culture, clothing, women’s autonomy and who gets to participate in a traditional ritual. By the time Kangana Ranaut, Kriti Sanon, Nupur Sanon and Rahul Gandhi had all joined the debate, the campaign was no longer simply selling jewellery – it had become the internet’s latest cultural battleground.
At the centre of the storm was GIVA's Raksha Bandhan campaign featuring brand ambassador Kriti Sanon.
Everyone trolling Kriti Sanon for this GIVA ad, saying she’s wearing a “bikini.” Is she? Nope.
She’s not dressed inappropriately.
Maybe her outfit just doesn’t fit your definition of “decency.” I could wear that in front of my brother too.
Same people cheering her bikini… pic.twitter.com/65aSejJLFU— Ritzz (@ChaoticRitzz) August 23, 2026
One section of social media believed Kriti Sanon’s bralette-style blouse was unsuitable for a family festival, while another objected to the commercial extending the rakhi ritual to a dog. Kriti's defenders argued that both criticisms missed the campaign's point and unfairly turned a woman's clothes into a measure of her cultural values.
ALSO READ | Watch: Kriti Sanon Interacts With Specially-Abled Fan, Proves She Has Heart Of Gold
The dispute escalated rapidly over a few days. Kangana called the advertisement “intentionally creepy”, Kriti asked when society would stop telling women what to wear, Nupur told critics to “evolve”, and Rahul Gandhi backed a woman’s right to choose. On August 26, 2026, GIVA withdrew the advertisement.
Here is how a seemingly cheerful festive campaign became one of the season's biggest controversies.
July 21: What GIVA Raksha Bandhan Ad Actually Showed
GIVA rolled out the digital campaign, titled Furever Sibling: The Pawfect Bond, Crafted in Silver, on July 21, 2026, alongside its new Pet Collection. The advertisement opened with Kriti celebrating Raksha Bandhan with an onscreen brother and tying a rakhi around his wrist. When the family's dog made his presence felt, she included him in the celebration and tied one to him as well. The idea was straightforward: siblinghood, according to the campaign, could include the four-legged family member who offered companionship and protection of a different kind.
The pet angle was not an incidental gag inserted into a conventional rakhi advertisement. It was the campaign's central proposition and helped promote GIVA's personalised pure-silver pet-tag charms alongside its rakhis and festive jewellery. The brand said it wanted to recognise changing definitions of family and celebrate siblings “whether they walk on two legs or four”. In other words, the dog was not hijacking a brother's rakhi; he was the campaign's entire marketing hook.
How Kriti Sanon's Outfit Became First Flashpoint
Although the campaign had been released more than a month earlier, it drew widespread attention online around August 23 and 24. Kriti was seen wearing an off-white Indo-Western ensemble comprising a bralette-style blouse, a cape and a draped skirt. Some users described the blouse as too revealing for an advertisement centred on a traditional family festival; considerably harsher posts compared it to a bikini.
For critics, the problem was not that the outfit was Western in the conventional sense – the cape and draped skirt clearly gave it a festive, fusion character – but that its cut appeared out of step with the familial and ritual setting. Some also argued that the campaign placed more emphasis on glamour and jewellery than familiar visual elements associated with Raksha Bandhan, such as a puja thali and tilak.
The opposing camp saw something very different: an ethnic-fusion outfit being treated as a cultural emergency simply because it exposed Kriti's midriff and had a bralette-like silhouette. Supporters argued that there is no single Raksha Bandhan uniform and that a woman's neckline cannot determine whether her affection for her family or respect for a festival is genuine. What began as a styling disagreement soon became a familiar internet argument about “decency”, with the actual jewellery almost disappearing from the conversation.
Why Rakhi-To-A-Dog Sequence Drew Separate Criticism
The second objection was distinct from the clothing debate. Some viewers argued that Raksha Bandhan traditionally celebrates a sibling relationship and accused the advertisement of trivialising or mocking the festival by extending the rakhi ritual to a pet. Others questioned why a jewellery brand needed to modify an established custom to sell a new product category.
However, supporters pointed out that many pet parents already treat their animals as members of the family and include them in birthdays, festivals and prayers. The commercial's intention was also stated openly by GIVA: it wanted to recognise the emotional place pets occupy in households. The debate, therefore, was not about what happened in the ad – Kriti tied rakhis to both a sibling and a dog – but whether a festival's symbolism could be expanded without diminishing its traditional meaning.
August 24: Kangana Ranaut Calls Advertisement “Intentionally Creepy”
Once Kangana Ranaut entered the conversation, the controversy moved from scattered social media criticism to national entertainment headlines. The actress and BJP MP did not name Kriti or GIVA in her Instagram Story, but her reference to a woman tying rakhi to her brother in a bikini made the subject unmistakable.
Kangana began by observing that contemporary women have wardrobes ranging from cocktail dresses and jeans to sarees and salwar kameez. She then questioned why, with so many styling options available, someone would choose such an outfit for tying rakhi to a brother. She ended the post by calling the advertisement “intentionally creepy”. Her criticism was majorly directed at the styling and the visual tone created by placing that outfit within a sibling-focused campaign.
There was an important distinction that quickly became lost in reposts: Kriti was not literally wearing a bikini. She wore a bralette-style blouse as part of a coordinated Indo-Western outfit. Kangana's use of “bikini/undergarments” was her characterisation of the blouse.
Suzanne Bernert Questions Campaign’s Idea Of Modernity
Actress Suzanne Bernert also criticised the advertisement on August 24. Writing on X, the German-born actress said that even from her liberal upbringing, the campaign felt “way off” and looked more like a party setup than a presentation of a festival with deep meaning. When another user discussed women's freedom to choose their clothes, Suzanne argued that presenting reduced clothing as empowerment had been a disservice to women. She added that an advertisement carried influence, particularly for younger viewers.
August 25: Kriti Sanon Finally Responds
Kriti answered both branches of the controversy in a detailed Instagram Story on August 25 without naming Kangana Ranaut, Suzanne Bernert or any individual critic. She argued that the essence of a festival lies in the emotions and meaning attached to its traditions rather than the clothes worn during it.
Explaining the sibling theme, Kriti revealed that she and her sister, Nupur Sanon, tie rakhi to each other because they believe they can protect one another no less than a brother could. She said the sisters pray for each other's health, happiness and long life, and added that this promise extends to their dogs because they are family too. The explanation connected the commercial's pet-friendly concept to a practice and belief from Kriti's own life rather than treating it purely as advertising copy.
She then directly challenged the scrutiny of her outfit, asking when people would stop telling women what to wear. Her sharpest line quickly became the counter-slogan of the debate: “Culture & Traditions are in her heart, not in her neckline!”
Nupur Sanon Tells Critics To “Respectfully Evolve”
Nupur soon reposted her sister’s response and made the defence considerably more personal. She wrote that people should “Respectfully EVOLVE” instead of being so bothered by another woman's choice of clothing. She then pointed out that she was the person to whom Kriti ties rakhi in real life and asked why outsiders had a problem if she did not.
Why Rahul Gandhi Entered Entertainment Controversy
The row crossed into politics later on August 25 when Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, shared Kriti's response on his Instagram Story. He wrote that what a woman wears, does and where she goes are her choices, and urged people to stop trolling women for exercising their freedom. He also used the hashtag #SmashThePatriarchy.
Rahul Gandhi did not name or directly attack Kangana. Nevertheless, his intervention inevitably gave the story a political dimension: he is a senior Congress leader, while Kangana is a BJP MP from Mandi. With the two public figures appearing on opposite sides of a debate about clothing, culture and women's agency, what had started as an advertising dispute was quickly framed as a wider ideological clash.
August 26: GIVA Withdraws Advertisement
By the morning of August 26 (today), GIVA had removed the advertisement from its social media handles and announced that it had withdrawn the advertisement from all media. The brand said it held Indian culture, traditions and festivals in the highest regard and explained that its intention had been to celebrate festive moments with the whole family, including pets.
GIVA added that it had not intended to hurt anyone's sentiments and withdrew the ad “out of respect” for those who had been offended.
Kriti has not withdrawn her defence, and Kangana has not retracted her criticism. Uorfi Javed subsequently backed Kriti, saying she looked “perfectly decent” and questioning why women continue to bear society's moral expectations.
Where The Controversy Currently Stands
As of August 26, 2026, the advertisement has been withdrawn, but the argument it triggered remains unresolved. Critics continue to maintain that festive advertising should respect the visual and ritual context of the occasion it uses. Kriti's supporters counter that culture cannot be reduced to a dress code and that including pets reflects how many families already live and celebrate.
That is also why the controversy grew so rapidly. It touched three sensitive questions at once: who defines appropriate festive clothing, how far brands may reinterpret religious and cultural traditions, and whether criticism of an advertisement can be separated from policing the woman appearing in it.
The commercial may no longer be running, but its accidental legacy is already clear. GIVA set out to broaden the meaning of siblinghood; the internet broadened the discussion into a full-scale debate about tradition, personal freedom and the constantly shifting rules of modern Indian advertising.
