National SC Commission serves notice to Zomato over 'casteist' ad

The National Commission For Scheduled Castes has served a notice to online food delivery aggregator Zomato for portraying a Dalit character in one of its ad campaigns for World Environment Day, a report by NDTV said.

A government panel has now announced that it will investigate the matter and has also issued a notice to Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal, the report said.

“In case the commission does not receive a reply from you within the stipulated time, the commission may issue summons for your appearance in person,” the notice read.

Zomato’s ‘Kachra’ ad controversy

The viral ad featured actor Aditya Lakhia, who played 'Kachra' in the 2001 film 'Lagaan,' starring Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh. The advertisement, which drew a connection between the character Kachra and garbage (kachra in Hindi), aired on World Environment Day on June 5.

Following social media backlash and 'Boycott Zomato' calls due to the comparison, the company removed the video and stated that it had "unintentionally" hurt certain communities.

The Gurgaon-based company added that its goal was to "spread awareness about the potential of plastic waste and the 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,” the company said.

In the nearly 120-second ad, Lakhia was portrayed as a lamp, paper, paperweight, watering can, and various types of jackets, conveying the message that garbage can be recycled and turned into useful items.

"When recycled, kachra can become many things,” Zomato told viewers through the ad.

Kind of sly humour

Communications strategist Karthik Srinivasan told news agency PTI that Zomato attempted a play on the word "kachra" without thinking enough about how it would look to make the character perform "seemingly dehumanising and menial tasks".

"There's a context to Kachra's character in 'Lagaan', and within the larger spectrum of commercial entertainment in India, on how castes are portrayed, and how Dalits, in particular, are portrayed or stereotyped," he told PTI.

He added that Zomato attempted to mine a “kind of sly humour” from the name for waste upcycling/recycling.

In the movie Lagaan, the character Kachra belongs to a marginalised community and is shunned by his fellow villagers. Because of his special ball-spinning techniques, he is chosen by Bhuvan, played by Aamir Khan, and ends up playing a pivotal role in the main match against the British team.