Nargis Fakhri's Pakistani ad sparks controversy in social media

22 Dec 2015

Nargis Fakhri, who is the brand ambassador for the mobile brand Mobilink, recently became a target of controversy after an ad poster of the actress was printed on the front page of a Pakistani Urdu daily titled Jang. The Bollywood actress sparked a major controversy over her sensuous pose with a mobile in a red dress as many claimed it provocative.

After the investigative journalist Ansar Abbasi pointed out the ad on the front page by posting about on the micro blogging site, a series of hate comments were directed towards the actress thereby resulting in an outrage on social media over the said newspaper.

@AnsarAAbbasi: My strong protest to top jang group management for this absurd front page ad in today's jang.

@amnaateef: Nargis Fakhri to besharam thi hi, Mobilink aur Jang wale bhi besharam :( @Mujahidarani: Nargis fakhri , MObilink , Jang and express MUST BE QUESTIONED over recent JAZZ X smart phone Advertisement @sanabucha: This is shameful. For those using a (photo shopped) woman as a tool to sell phones. And the seths 4 printing it.

@roghay: The Nargis Fakhri episode is a clear example of the marketing vs editorial #Jang which will never end in #journalism, revenue Vs ethicsThe above mentioned is a glimpse of the controversy that has been kick started on social media. Followed by this mass reaction, Nargis Fakhri decided to place her point of view and released a statement. Her media statement read, "I've been with Mobilink as their brand ambassador for the last 3 years and there has never been an issue like this. I was unaware that they would consider using this visual for a mainstream newspaper ad - an Urdu daily as it was never meant to be. As a model or celebrity, I have always believed in using my persona to help further a brand's communication but never to have it used where I end up being objectified for my looks. Culturally too, my team and I are aware and respectful of what visuals work for what mediums, markets and audiences and hence given the brand's firm penetration in the Pakistan market, we left it up to their expertise to use the images appropriately."