Aishwarya Rai’s Longines ad taken down following obscenity complaints

Mangalore Today News Network

Aug 10, 2016: A shop owner from Kelantan, Malaysia, has been instructed by the local council to take down the ‘obscene’ ads displayed in his store, which also included a Longines ad featuring Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. According to The Star, the shop owner tried to defend in vain saying that the posters were supplied by the manufacturers; nonetheless, he had to remove them, and also had to pay a moderate fine.

 

The 42-year-old Bollywood actress had been a brand ambassador of luxury watch brand Longines since 1999. The disputed poster had Aishwarya in a strapped black dress showcasing her watch, which looks far from being deemed suggestive.

 

What amounts to obscenity varies with countries. Kelantan, ruled by the Islamic Part of Malaysia (PAS), is regarded an extremely conservative state. The shops there aren’t allowed to display provocative photographs.

Muslim-majority Malaysia is among the world’s most morally conservative countries, according to a survey conducted by Pew Research Center — a think tank based in Washington, D.C — two years back.