National Foods recently came up with an advert for their masalas. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with the product, even the intention of the brand but something is wrong with the concept of the advert and it hasn’t sit well with a bunch of people.

The ad starts with describing the perfect wife and the chores which she is supposed to do

A voice-over narrates:

“Achi biwi apnay miyaan ki har zarurat ka pehlay se khayal rakhti hai. Har want qurbani denay ke liay tyar rehti hai. Ghanton kitchen mein khari, apnay miyaan ke liay lazeez khanay banati hai.”

The audience was not very pleased with such notions

According to the salty audience, the advert professes to the same old patriarchal views which have been holding women back. Why is there a rigid definition of a good wife and why do they get to decide it?

What people have found problematic is National Foods labeling that an achi biwi is someone who is subservient to her husband

The ad has tried to send an empowering message to the idea of an achi biwi

The actress says, “agar mein ghanton na lagaoun toh kiya mein fail hogayi?” but then, at the end she says she wants to “fail everyday” because she has National Foods ka masala…. like, WTF?

While the message is good and so is the intention, unfortunately it hasn’t been conveyed that clearly, for an audience that doesn’t necessarily understand subtle hints.

Let’s dissect the advert a bit more

Then the lady shows us the absolutely brilliant National Biryani Misala, which helps reduce the hours spent in kitchen and allows her to spend time with her loved ones.

While the message from the wife in the advert is good, the fact that she’s shown as a traditional housewife and not in a more progressive female role, visually, it’s sending a conservative message to the audience. The woman seems to be forgetting that her time in the kitchen might be reduced due to the masala, but it does not narrow down the list of chores that she is supposed to finish otherwise.

Maybe showing an entitled husband as a little more considerate and dividing the work with his wife would have been visually more appealing.

Here is the advert for you guys. Happy cringing:

https://youtu.be/bqF4VxybCfk

Remember, there is nothing wrong with choosing to be a housewife and doing all these chores. However, it should be up to the woman to decide what she wants. Or it should be a collective decision between a husband and wife the kind of roles that they want to play. A pre-set idea not only takes away the agency from people but also limits them to performing particular roles.

 

Cover image via: National Foods Limited / YouTube