Kriti Sanon: My Choli Became a Six-Person Panel Discussion

Months after a Raksha Bandhan advertisement was pulled, Kriti Sanon is finally putting the entire drama into perspective. In the trailer for Kareena Kapoor Khan’s What Women Want Season 6, she revisits the GIVA campaign that turned her choli into a prime-time talking point — and she still sounds genuinely surprised that an outfit got that much airtime.

The ad that became a flashpoint

The jewellery brand GIVA released a Raksha Bandhan campaign featuring Kriti Sanon in an off-white bralette-style blouse, a cape and a draped skirt. The ad showed her tying a rakhi to her brother, and in another moment, to her pet dog. What the brand intended as a contemporary spin on tradition quickly turned into a full-blown culture-war moment.

Some viewers called the outfit inappropriate for a festival. Others questioned the way Raksha Bandhan was presented, including the absence of conventional festive elements and the inclusion of the dog. Within days, the campaign was taken down amid the social media storm.

What Kriti told Kareena

In the Season 6 trailer, Kriti puts it plainly to Kareena: “I couldn’t believe when my choli had become like a six-person panel discussion on prime-time news.” Kareena’s response is short and knowing: “I know.”

Asked what women really want, Kriti’s answer lands as both a punchline and a sincere request: “To not be judged, and people should mind their business.”

That line matters because it cuts through the usual celebrity apology cycle. She is not re-explaining the outfit; she is naming the judgement itself as the problem.

Her bigger argument hasn’t changed

When the backlash first erupted, Kriti had responded on Instagram. Her point was that the essence of festivals is not in clothes but in the emotions and meaning attached to traditions. She spoke about tying a rakhi with her sister and extending the same bond of protection to their dogs, because they are family too.

She also asked a question that keeps echoing in Bollywood: when will we stop telling women what to wear? Female stars often face moral scrutiny over necklines and hemlines in a way their male co-stars simply do not. Kriti framed respect for culture as something carried in the heart, not measured by a neckline.

Why the brand response matters

GIVA’s founder, Ishendra Agarwal, later said the campaign’s intent remained unchanged and that taking the ad down was primarily about protecting the brand’s employees and stores. That is a useful distinction for fans and marketers alike: pulling a campaign under pressure is not the same as agreeing with its critics, even if it can look that way.

• The ad was called “inappropriate” for a traditional festival.
• The dog’s presence added to the online objection.
• The brand stood by its intent after taking the ad down.

What to watch next

The new season of What Women Want also brings in Ali Fazal, Neha Kakkar, Maheep Kapoor, Bhavna Pandey, Micky Contracter and Mira Rajput. As for Kriti, she was last seen in Cocktail 2 with Shahid Kapoor and Rashmika Mandanna.

Source: India Today