Pakistani restaurant draws flak for using Alia Bhatt’s scene in ‘Aja na Raja’ advertisement

A restaurant in Karachi has drawn flak on social media platforms for using a scene from Bollywood film Gangubai Kathiawadi featuring Alia Bhatt to promote an offer only for men. In the movie, Alia Bhatt essayed the role of prostitute Gangubai who became an influential brothel-owner.

The advertisement showed a scene of the movie where Alia Bhatt gestured to men to get her client. With that poster, the restaurant Swing announced Men’s Monday with 25% discount for men. “Aja na Raja – what are you waiting for?” the tagline of the advertisement said.

The advertisement on Instagram received a huge backlash as social media slammed the ‘cheap promotion’ of the restaurant.

“You really need to look into what’s being put up here. To use a painful scene to justify whatever you’re offering is reeking of misogyny, ignorance,” one user wrote.

“If you guys think that this is some sort of marketing strategy and this will gain you some attention and customers then you’re sadly mistaken! Using a clip from a movie based on prostitution (which btw is based on someone’s real life) just shows how low and shallow you can get just for publicity,” another user wrote.

The restaurant defended the advertisement and said it was just a concept and not meant to hurt anyone. “The movie and this post is based on a concept. Like before, we’re open to all and will be serving you with the same love like we always have,” it said using another tagline ‘Movie kare tou aag, restaurant kare tou paap?’