Kriti Sanon on Rakhi ad row: Culture defenders abused my family

Kriti Sanon has spoken about the online storm around her Raksha Bandhan commercial, and she is not framing it as a fashion debate. Appearing on Kareena Kapoor Khan’s YouTube show What Women Want, the actor said the ugliest messages came from people who claimed to be defending Indian culture.

Her point was sharp: the same voices lecturing on values and respect were, she said, the ones leaving abusive comments on her parents’ and sister’s posts.

What she said about the abuse

Kriti said she usually does not read comments, but this was hard to miss. Asked why she did not simply switch comments off, she had a larger concern.

“What have they done? My sister said I should turn off my comments and I asked why?”

“It is important for women to stand up for themselves. Who has given these people the right to comment and for what?” she added.

She described the backlash as not really about her. It was, in her view, a wider pattern: women are policed for small things, from clothes to height to questions about pregnancy, while actors make an easy target.

A festival ad that became a flashpoint

The jewellery brand’s Raksha Bandhan film ran into trouble over two moments. In one, Kriti is seen tying a rakhi to her brother in a modern bralette-and-skirt look. In another, she ties a rakhi to a pet dog. Both drew sharp social media criticism.

Kriti released a statement at the time to clarify her position on the outfit. The brand eventually pulled the advertisement from its platforms.

Why this matters for fans

This is not just celebrity gossip. It is a case study in how a festive campaign can become a referendum on women’s choices, and how quickly engagement turns personal. For our readers, it marks the human cost behind every viral outrage cycle:

• Online anger can move from an ad to a family’s doorstep within hours.
• The stated issue, “culture”, is often not the real issue; scrutiny of women is.
• Brands may pull a film, but the abuse directed at individuals leaves a longer shadow.

It also leaves a practical question for public figures and brands: when a campaign offends some viewers, where does accountability end and abuse begin?

Kriti ended on a note that is both weary and determined. “We need to shatter it multiple times for it to break,” she said of deeply embedded patriarchy. Whether or not you agree with every styling choice in the ad, the idea that a festive spot should lead to abuse of a star’s family is the part worth examining.

On the work front, Kriti was last seen in Homi Adajania’s Cocktail 2, with Shahid Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna. The film released in theatres on June 19, 2026.

Source: India Today