Zomato deletes ‘Kachra’ campaign video after social media backlash

The ad shows the actor becoming a human stool, lamp and hand towel, among other objects of daily use, in an attempt to show the amount of plastic that is used in making these objects. The video attempted to deliver the message that the company “recycles twice the amount of plastic it delivers, and keeps it out of the landfills”.
https://twitter.com/ghaywan/status/1666667224273403908
Among those who hit out at the campaign was filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan, who reprimanded Zomato for using “one of the most dehumanised voiceless depictions of Dalits ever in cinema” to make a “repulsive casteist commercial”.

While one user wrote, “Stupid way of portraying recycling”, another said that Zomato “recycled casteism from 2001”.

After backlash, Zomato removed the video from social media platforms and issued a clarification saying the intent of the video was to “spread awareness about the potential of plastic waste and benefits of recycling in a humorous way”.

In 2022, the food delivery startup had announced 100 per cent plastic-neutral deliveries, and said it will voluntarily recycle all plastic utilised while delivering the orders.

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