Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; May 8, 2017)

In what seems to be a storm in a teacup, Nawazuddin Siddiqui's latest Pakistani commercial for a washing machine has invited the wrath of a section of netizens across the border, who have termed it sexist.

In the ad, the actor is seeing chilling with his pals, bragging about bashing up his wife and getting rid of her for good. It starts with his three friends asking him if he's facing problems with 'bhabhiji', and he says she misbehaved. "Kar di dhulaai", he responds. Then one of the friends startles him by announcing that bhabhiji has come; Nawaz throws his popcorn tub in the air. When he realises it was a prank, he chides them, mentioning his weak heart - indicating how much he fears his wife.

The ad has already created furore in Pakistan with netizens branding it misogynistic. Some, however, are of the opinion that it should be taken in the right spirit about washing being a man's responsibility too.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui has featured in Pakistani TV commercials for the same brand earlier including with Pak actress Aisha Khan.

A source close to Nawaz says, "He shot for the ad a while ago in Dubai. It is just an ad and there is no need to read between the lines. He has nothing to say about it [the controversy]".