On Thursday, filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan slammed a video campaign by food aggregator Zomato, calling it “extremely insensitive”. The now-deleted video saw actor Aditya Lakhia, known for playing Kachra in Lagaan (2001), showcasing the importance of recycling garbage.

Ghaywan says, “It (the ad) has the savarna saviour complex of having an oppressor caste emancipate a Dalit. The take should have been progressive. It celebrates saviours, but puts the oppressed in the same cycle of being a perpetual victims.”

The 42-year-old says the ad, which showed Kachra’s character as a tablecloth, “normalises casteism”. He rues, “It is insensitive to use a character to make a ‘funny’ commercial about sustainable recycling. Companies need to have an inclusivity orientation.”

Lakhia, who is absolutely “fine” with the ad being pulled down, says, “The idea was to give out a positive message. We did not aim to hurt anybody. But if someone is hurt, one must respect that.”

While the ad has been pulled down, Zomato has also issued an apology for hurting “the sentiments of certain communities and individuals”. When we reached out to the app, they refused to comment further.