Calcutta lawyer files petition
The petition was filed by Dibyayan Banerji, a lawyer of the Calcutta High Court. According to the complaint, the beverage giant’s main ad was in Hindi and the petitioner has no problem with this. However, the Bengali dub of the ad which was being broadcast on different TV channels and websites did not sit well with many Bengalis.
The announcement allegedly hurt Bengali sentiments
In the video, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui can be seen laughing at one of the jokes, which they say in Bengali, “shoja anguley ghee na uthley, Bangali khali petey ghumiye porey”. In English it means Bengalis sleep hungry if they don’t get anything easily. This part of the dialogue has sparked controversy as the complaint claims it allegedly hurts Bengali feelings.
For the uninitiated, the announcement is based on the popular Bengali idiom which says, “Shoja anguley ghee na uthley, angul bekatey hoy”. It means that if you can’t get something simply, you have to go further to get it.
What does the lawyer say?
Dibyayan Banerji said that he has no problem with advertising in Hindi as there is nothing offensive about it. But the Bengali version attracts section 66A of the IT Act and also section 153A of the Indian Penal Code. You also said that this kind of superficial act and gimmicks should not be promoted in the future.
The beverage giant responds
After the police complaint and massive protest, the advertisement was pulled from television and social media platforms. On Twitter, the beverage giant wrote in Bengali: “We are deeply sorry for our recent Bengali advertising campaign for Sprite and are pulling this unintentional error from the Bengali media immediately. Our company respects the Bengali language and is proud of platforms such as Coke Studio Bangla, which attaches great importance to the respect and prestige of our Bengal. We are committed to preserving the state’s respect and heritage through our service, new investments, CSR and social consciousness.”
