MAM
‘Fair and Lovely’ gets 1st Duryodhan award in TV ad category
It’s not quite the Razzies that “celebrates” Hollywood’s worst but the Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW) offered its own “roll of dishonour” at an award ceremony in Mumbai yesterday.
Hindustan Levers’ advertisement for its fairness cream ‘Fair and Lovely’ was adjudged the most gender-insensitive and bagged the distinction of being the first ever recipient of the Duryodhan Award in the television ad category. The Amitabh Bachchan starrer Aks and Govinda’s Amdani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiya bagged the Rakshasa and Duryodhana Awards, being the most violent and gender-insensitive films, respectively.
The winners were chosen by a jury comprising advocate Indira Jaisingh (chairperson), vice-chancellor of SNDT Women’s university Roopa Shah, filmmaker Kavita Chaudhary and Mumbai commissioner of police MN Singh.
Announcing the final awards, Jaisingh was quoted as saying “The Fair and Lovely” advertisement suffered from a colour complex (naturally one would think since it extols the virtues of a fairness cream). Jaisingh said such ads propagate the myth that a woman has to be beautiful in order to be successful or find a suitable match.
“If using fairness creams could help us in securing jobs, there would be a mad rush for these creams and unemployment in the country would soon be over,” she said.
The awards were part of the MSCW’s Foundation Day celebrations.
Amdani… reportedly “won” because it used crude humour to imply that women were meant to be kicked around. The film also preached chauvinism and implied that a man felt threatened by an independent woman.
MSCW instituted the awards to highlight the problems associated with the stereotyping of women in films, commodification of their bodies and glorification of violence and crime in the media.
There was a positive note to the proceedings though. A special jury award to the critically-acclaimed film Chandni Bar for its sensitive portrayal of the lives of bar dancers.
MAM
BLS International launches #VisaReady campaign to guide applicants
Initiative targets visa myths, delays and rejections with practical guidance
MUMBAI: Visa woes may soon meet their match because paperwork, it seems, is finally getting a user manual. BLS International has rolled out a new awareness drive, #VisaReadyWithBLSInternational, aimed at simplifying the often confusing visa application process and reducing delays caused by misinformation and incomplete documentation. The campaign, led across social media platforms, zeroes in on a long-standing pain point for travellers: lack of clarity around procedures, timelines and requirements. By offering step-by-step guidance, documentation checklists and clear Dos and Don’ts, the initiative attempts to turn what is typically a stressful process into a more predictable one.
At its core, the campaign also seeks to bust common myths that frequently derail applications issues that often lead to avoidable rejections or last-minute complications. The idea is to equip applicants with practical, actionable insights so they can plan better and submit stronger applications within expected timelines.
The push will not remain limited to digital channels. BLS International plans to extend the initiative across its Visa Application Centres globally, reinforcing awareness at key touchpoints where applicants engage with the process.
BLS International joint managing director Shikhar Aggarwal framed the campaign as more than a communication exercise, emphasising the company’s attempt to embed guidance and preparedness into every stage of the applicant journey.
Operating in over 70 countries and working with more than 46 client governments including embassies, consulates and diplomatic missions, the company has built a sizeable footprint in visa and consular services. With this campaign, it is now leaning into education as much as execution, signalling that in the world of visas, clarity might just be the new currency.
