Days after trending #BoycottHindustanUnilever campaign for a heartwarming video on parent-child relationship, right-wing trolls on Sunday targeted the company’s other popular brand Surf Excel with hashtag #BoycottSurfExcel for another touching ad promoting religious harmony.
This was after the Surf Excel ad featuring a group of children showed how a Hindu girl goes to extraordinary lengths to protect her Muslim friend from getting smeared with colours on his white kurta pyjama since he had to go for Friday prayers. The Hindu girl presents herself in front of a group of children, who are waiting with bucket full of colours. She ensures that the kids finish off all the colour they have by throwing it on her so that they have nothing left to throw at the Muslim child when he walks out to go to the mosque.
After she achieves this, she calls out to her Muslim friend, “bahar aa ja, sab khatam ho gaya (You can come out, their colours are over.)”
However, as she approaches the group of children who had just smeared her with colour, one child still finds some leftover colour. But as he reaches out to the colour to smear the Muslim boy, he is stopped by the same friends, who were just seen throwing colour at the Hindu girl.
Meanwhile, as the Muslim boy walks up the stairs of the mosque, he tells his Hindu friend, “Namaz padh kar aata hoon (I will just be back after offering my prayers.)” The Hindu girl replies, “Be prepared for getting smeared with colour.”
The ad evoked widespread praises for its creativity and heartwarming message of communal harmony.
Surf excel and Hindustan Unilever are getting publicity as never before, that too free of cost. Won’t be surprised if it’s sales go up. Great strategy which others may follow soon https://t.co/Otqexwum52
— Kanchan Srivastava (@Ms_Aflatoon) March 10, 2019
#SurfExcel के ऐड में एक मुस्लिम लड़के और हिंदू लड़की में दोस्ती है. पर संघी लोग इसे ‘लव जिहाद’ का प्रचार बता रहे हैं. भारत में सब रंगों के मिलने, दोस्ती और प्यार करने की जगह है – इसे एक रंग में रंगने की फासीवादी कोशिश को नाकाम करो! होली मुबारक एडवांस में! https://t.co/w4UajX6qBG
— Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) March 10, 2019
I am buying 2 extra 2 kilo pack of #SurfExcel for reminding us that we are nice people. And live naturally in relative harmony. And, kids know no barriers, until they are taught.
It will last me 6 months. but it is worth it to defeat haters.— Harini Calamur (@calamur) March 10, 2019
This beautiful Ad has angered Sanghis and they want to Boycott #SurfExcel. There are some things Surf Excel cant clean. The Filthy Mind of Indian RW is one of them pic.twitter.com/XLAijY3OSE
— Joy (@Joydas) March 10, 2019
Lovely ad #SurfExcel . This is the real India. Mutual respect for each other’s faith should be the bedrock of our democracy. https://t.co/fEZyTPGycv
— Sumanth Raman (@sumanthraman) March 10, 2019
However, right-wing trolls, mostly supporters of the BJP, launched a hashtag, calling for the boycott of the popular detergent brand.
Awakening INDIA ?
Awakening HINDU ?#BoycottSurfExcel #bycottSurfExcel #BoycottHindustanUnilever @ippatel#SurfExcel pic.twitter.com/0Jh56Vityt— Sʜᴇᴋʜᴀʀ Cʜᴀʜᴀʟ (#NamoAgain)™ (@shekharchahal) March 9, 2019
Here is the picture, you need to check before buying anything… #BoycottSurfExcel @HUL_News Leave Hindus alone. Make ads on other religions because WE are not interested in your products. pic.twitter.com/3TxWoFux4e
— niketsharma (@niketsharmaa) March 9, 2019
#BoycottSurfExcel remove this add either we bycott your every product.. pic.twitter.com/7WQUwMJxYb
— sanket shrivastava (@sanketshrivas19) March 9, 2019
Last week, BJP supporters helped by Patanjali founder Ramdev had called for the boycott of Hindustan Unilever after it posted an ad of Red Label Chai to encourage children to love their parents. The timing of the latest Surf Excel ad assumes significance in light of this month’s festival of Holi, when people throw colour at each other.