Big B turns down ad campaign glorifying dowry

Superstar Amitabh Bachchan is earning crores endorsing a wide array of products but the money has not blinded him to his social responsibilities.

He has refused to endorse a product portrayed as a dowry item in an upcoming television commercial, prompting the company to change it.

The Big B, who was to feature in a advertisement campaign showing Eveready Industries' Jeevan Saathi torchlight as a lucrative dowry item, turned down the offer on grounds that it would encourage the evil social practice, Eveready Industries India Limited (EIIL) Managing Director Deepak Khaitan said in Kolkata on Tuesday.

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The 40-second ad was to show a bridegroom walking away from the marriage pandal when the bride's father is unable to gift him a Jeevan Sathi torch. Big B was to intervene at this stage and procure the much-desired item.

"However, Bachchan was sharp enough to point out that the ad eulogised the system of dowry. This had not even occurred to the people who had conceived the ad. When we realised the obvious anomaly, we immediately decided to drop the concept," Khaitan said. "We appreciate Big B's social concern and did not hesitate one bit when he pointed out that the ad could have negative impact on the masses."

The company has now come up with a new concept for the ad.

Khaitan said the actor had also refused to act in commercials for the company's array of tea brands. "He (Big B) does not drink tea or coffee. This is why he would never feature in a caffeine beverage ad," he explained.