Entertainment
‘Dictating what is India n’: backlash over Urdu phrase in fashion advert

‘Dictating what is Indian’: backlash over Urdu phrase in fashion advert
Released just as festival season is kicking off across India, it looked like your average advert for festive attire. Models posed, resplendent in red and gold, showing off the newest collection by Fabindia that was said to “pay homage to Indian culture”.
Yet, in just a matter of hours, the poster had sent convulsions through India. A boycott was called against Fabindia, a staple brand in the country, and by the end of the day the advert had been taken down after it was deemed offensive to Hinduism by members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) and right-wing Hindu groups.
The vehement objections to the Fabindia advert were a direct response to the name of the collection, “Jashn-e-Riwaaz”, a phrase that means “celebration of tradition” in Urdu.
According to BJP figures, rightwing commentators and Hindu groups who waded in, the use of Urdu in an advert for a clothes collection associated with Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, was “culturally inappropriate” and offensive to Hinduism.
Urdu is a language which has its origins in India. It is recognised in the constitution as one of the country’s official languages and is what some of India’s most celebrated poems and love songs are written in. Yet in recent years its use has become increasingly politicised in the public sphere, often decried as the “Muslim” language of India’s rival, the neighbouring Islamic country of Pakistan.
Tejasvi Surya, a BJP MP, tweeted: “Deepavali is not Jash-e-Riwaaz. This deliberate attempt of abrahamisation of Hindu festivals, depicting models without traditional Hindu attires, must be called out”. His call for an economic boycott of Fabindia quickly gained traction online.
The objections and trolling escalated further over outrage that the women in the Fabindia advert were not wearing a bindi, the coloured decorative dot often worn by Hindu women on their foreheads, and a subsequent hashtag #NoBindiNoBusiness began to trend on Twitter.
Rohit Chopra, a professor of communication at Santa Clara university who studies Indian media, described the objections to the used of “Jashn-e-Riwaaz” in the Fabindia advert as “completely bizarre”.
“It’s part of this BJP imperative to somehow purify Hinduism, to have this model of Hinduism which is completely divested, and bleached clean of any Islamic or Muslim influences,” said Chopra. “But it’s bogus. Language does not map on to religion; just as Hindi is not the exclusive property of Hinduism, Urdu is not the property of Islam.”
Fabindia later clarified that the collection was not its Diwali collection, which would be released later, but still chose to take the advert down. “We at Fabindia have always stood for the celebration of India with its myriad traditions in all hues. Our Diwali collection called ‘Jhilmil is Diwali’ is yet to be launched,” said the company spokesperson.
‘Teaching Muslims a lesson’
It was not the only advert this week to face such accusations of religious offence against India’s Hindu majority. On Friday, an advert by a tyre company featuring one of Bollywood’s biggest actors, Aamir Khan, was accused by BJP MP Ananthkumar Hegde of creating “an unrest among the Hindus”. The advert featured Khan, who is a Muslim, advising people not to burn polluting firecrackers during Diwali.
According to Hedge’s complaint letter, aside from insensitivity to Hinduism, the real problem the advert should have tackled was the “nuisance” caused by blocking of the roads during Muslim Friday prayers and “other important festive days by Muslims” and the “great inconvenience” caused by mosques broadcasting the call the prayer.
For Chopra, there were parallels between the “sectarian targeting” of an advert starring Khan, a prominent Muslim actor who in the past has condemned the rising religious intolerance in India, to the ongoing saga involving the son of another major Muslim Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, who was recently arrested on drugs charges and denied bail, in a case where the credibility of the case has been questioned and that many have condemned as politically motivated.
“This is all about teaching Muslims, especially prominent Muslims, a lesson: that even the biggest names in Bollywood are not protected from the Modi government,” said Chopra.
Also this week, an advert depicting a lesbian couple celebrating the Hindu festival of Karwa Chauth was pulled on Monday after a BJP Minister Narottam Mishra called it “objectionable content” and threatened legal action. The hashtag #BoycottFem then began trending on Twitter, with the company accused of offending religious sentiments. The company Darbur India Limited issued a public apology and removed the advert on Monday evening.
The incidents are not isolated. Since the BJP, a Hindu nationalist party, came to power in 2014 led by prime minister Narendra Modi, such accusations of insensitivity to Hinduism have been levelled more and more at films, television series and now advertising, as popular culture and media are viewed increasingly through a prism of religion in India.
Last year, an advert for a jewellery company, Tanishq, that depicted a Hindu woman married into a Muslim family had to be removed after it led to its shops being attacked, thecompany being viciously trolled online and calls for it to be boycotted.
Similarly in 2018, Close Up toothpaste pulled their #FreeToLove ad featuring Hindu Muslim couples after it was subjected to a vicious online hate campaign.
Chopra pointed out that this was a relatively new development, and while Indian advertising predominantly featured upper caste Hindu families, it also has a history of being “very secular and inclusive” and had often depicted Hindu-Muslim unity.
Notable examples include the popular 1989 television advert for the Bajaj scooter, which showed people from all Indian religions happily riding down roads on their two-wheelers, multiple ads for Red Label tea showing Hindus and Muslims drinking chai together, a 2016 advert by Surf washing power released for Ramadan, and a 2017 United Colours of Benetton ad that played on stereotypes of communal violence to show a picture of Muslim-Hindu harmony on the cricket pitch.
While Chopra said objections to such adverts were nothing new, “they used to come from fringe extreme individuals and organisations who were dismissed almost instantly”.
“Now, it’s prominent BJP voices who are legitimising these extreme views,” said Chopra. “Dictating what is ‘Indian’, what is ‘Hindu’ and what is ‘Muslim’, and making them mainstream.”
Entertainment
Kano censorship board suspends 22 popular Hausa film series

The Kano State Censorship Board has suspended the airing of 22 popular Hausa series films for allegedly violating regulatory guidelines.
The board described the action as a strategic move aimed at enforcing compliance and promoting professionalism within Kannywood, the Hausa-language film industry.
In a statement issued by the board’s Information Officer, Abdullahi Sani Sulaiman, the affected titles include Labarina, Dadin Kowa, Manyan Mata, Garwashi, Jamilun Jidda, and Gidan Sarauta, among others.
The statement said the decision followed a management meeting and due consultation and was directed late Sunday by the Executive Secretary of the board, Abba El-Mustapha.
Other suspended series films are Dakin Amarya, Mashahuri, Wasiyya, Tawakkaltu, Mijina, Wani Zamani, Mallaka, Kudin Ruwa, Boka Ko Malam, Wayasan Gobe, Rana Dubu, Manyan Mata, Fatake, Gwarwashi, Jamilun Jiddan, Shahadar Nabila, Dadin Kowa, Tabarma, Kishiyata, and Rigar Aro.
The board emphasised that it is legally empowered to censor all films meant for production, marketing, streaming, or broadcast prior to their release, and to regulate all related stakeholders both within and outside the state.
“All producers or owners of the suspended films are hereby instructed to cease streaming or airing their content on television or the internet and to submit their productions to the board for censorship approval within one week, starting from Monday, 19th May 2025 to 25th May, 2025, to avoid legal consequences,” the statement said.
The Hausa film industry has, in recent years, shifted toward producing series films as a result of diminishing returns from traditional filmmaking. These series are typically uploaded on YouTube and aired on television, with most episodes released on a weekly basis.
Entertainment
Cubana Chief Priest’s Lekki Restaurant shut down by Lagos govt

The Lagos State Government has taken action against DONALD Restaurant, a popular establishment in Lekki owned by nightlife entrepreneur Pascal Okechukwu, widely known as Cubana Chief Priest.
The restaurant was shut down following an incident where two employees were caught illegally disposing of waste on the roadside.
Muyiwa Gbadegesin, the Managing Director and CEO of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), announced the closure on his X handle.
He stated that the Chairman of the Lekki Estate Residents Association (LERA) had alerted LAWMA in the early hours of Saturday, May 18, 2025, about illegal dumping of waste along Durosimi-Etti Street in Lekki Phase 1.
According to Gbadegesin, “A white Ford van with Abuja registration plates GWA 136E was caught in the act of indiscriminately discharging waste.”
The vehicle was traced back to DONALD Restaurant, a nightlife establishment situated on Road 14 within the estate.
The suspects were apprehended on the scene by LERA’s Chief Security Officer and taken into custody at the LERA Secretariat.
Reports indicated that the individuals attempted to bribe the security team with ₦100,000, an offer that was firmly rejected.
LAWMA’s Monitoring and Compliance Team was immediately deployed to the location, where they took custody of the suspects and sealed the premises for gross environmental violations in breach of the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law, 2017.
Gbadegesin added that the suspects would be prosecuted in line with the law.
“LAWMA remains resolute in its commitment to enforcing environmental regulations across Lagos and urges all residents and businesses to adhere strictly to proper waste management practices. A clean and livable city is everyone’s responsibility,” Gbadegesin stressed.
Entertainment
Daughter of actress, Jumoke George trafficked to Mali returns after four years

Adeola, the daughter of veteran Nigerian actress Jumoke George, who was reportedly trafficked to Mali and had been missing for four years, has finally returned home to Nigeria.
The emotional reunion was announced by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), via her verified X (formerly Twitter) account.
“Breaking! Adeola, daughter of popular actress, Jumoke George, who cried out that she had not heard from her daughter in four years, is back home from Mali where she was trafficked to. Just received her, with Biola Adebayo who broke the story and Niyi Johnson. Details later!” Dabiri-Erewa posted.
The post included images of a visibly emotional reception, showing the young woman with actress Biola Adebayo and actor Niyi Johnson, who both played instrumental roles in drawing attention to the case.
Jumoke George had previously gone public with her distress, lamenting her daughter’s disappearance and appealing to the public for any information.
The case gained momentum after Biola Adebayo highlighted the issue, prompting wider media attention and eventual rescue efforts.
Although full details of Adeola’s ordeal in Mali are yet to be disclosed, her return marks a major success in the fight against human trafficking and a moment of immense relief for her family.
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