Hrithik Roshan-Starring Zomato Advertisement Pulled After Being Deemed Offensive By Priests At The Mahakal Temple Intent Here Was Never To Offend Anyone's Beliefs And Sentiments

Mahesh and Ashish, two Mahakal priests from Ujjain, demanded on Saturday that Zomato, an online meal delivery service, remove its most recent advertising that featured the Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan. They claim the advertisement is "offensive" and offends Hindu sentiments, which is why they are calling for its removal.

Hrithik Roshan claims in the new commercial, "Mann kiya, Zomato kiya," that he wanted a thali (full course platter) in Ujjain so he ordered from "Mahakal." “Thali ka mann kia, Ujjain mein hai, toh Mahakal se manga Lia (Felt like having a Thali. We’re in Ujjain, so ordered from Mahakal,” said the actor in the ad. According to Hindi news outlet Dainik Bhaskar, priest Mahesh stated that a company that offers non-vegetarian cuisine should immediately remove the false advertisement relating to Mahakal thali. He also demands an apology from the meal delivery company or face legal action. The priests believe it to be deceptive and offensive to Hindu values. A tweet prompted Zomato to respond, saying, "Mahakal Restaurant is one of our high-order-volume restaurant partners in Ujjain, and thali is a recommended item on its menu. Thalis are at 'Mahakal Restaurant,' not the renowned Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple". The video is a part of a pan-Indian campaign for which we choose the finest restaurants in each city and their most well-known dishes. One of such restaurants in Ujjain selected for the promotion was Mahakal Restaurant, also known simply as "Mahakal."" Their tweets also stated: We deeply respect the sentiments of the people of Ujjain, and the ad in question is no longer running. We offer our sincerest apologies, for the intent here was never to hurt anyone's beliefs and sentiments.