Akshay Kumar Ad 'Hurting Sentiments' of Marathas

#BoycottNirma Trends As Akshay Kumar Ad Is Slammed For Mocking Marathas

In the ad, Akshay Kumar plays the role of a Maratha king whose army returns victorious from battle.

Many on social media are calling for a boycott of Nirma washing powder, alleging that the company's latest ad featuring actor Akshay Kumar defames Maratha warriors. The hashtag #BoycottNirma has been trending on microblogging platform Twitter with more than 22,000 tweets since Tuesday.

In the ad, Akshay Kumar plays the role of a Maratha king whose army returns victorious from battle and then sets about washing their own soiled clothes. "The king's army knows how to thrash enemies as well as wash their clothes," Akshay Kumar says in the ad.

The advertisement did not go down well with a section of people who said it mocked Maratha warriors. According to Navbharat Times, a police complaint was filed against Akshay Kumar at Worli police station in Mumbai for allegedly defaming Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the advertisement.

"They have made use of our brave Maratha Soldiers to sell their product," wrote one Twitter user.

fun of. Akshay Kumar makes mockery of Marathas," another said.

Many shared angry comments criticising the "offensive" ad and asking Nirma to withdraw it.