India's first advertisement featuring a live-in lesbian couple has gone viral on YouTube and other social media platforms.
The three-minute advertisement created for ethnic clothing brand Anouk has already received more than three million views across social media within three weeks of its release, reported Time.
"The ad has got 3 million views across social media like Facebook, YouTube etc.," said Manish Aggarwal of Myntra Fashion, according to the Times of India. The video is promoted by online fashion retailer Myntra.
The video, titled "The Visit" and part of the "Bold Is Beautiful" campaign, was posted on May 28. The video has already attracted more than a million and half views on YouTube alone.
Indian youth have welcomed the ad and a #AnoukBoldIsBeautiful hashtag was started to support the campaign, reported Daily News & Analysis.
The commercial shows a nervous lesbian couple preparing to meet the parents of one partner.
"We tried to avoid the stereotypes associated with gay people. There was no one woman looking more masculine or feminine in the film. We tried to give it a candid feel like it is any other couple being apprehensive about meeting the parents," Avishek Ghosh, one of the people associated with ad, told the Times of India.
The groundbreaking ad in a country like India, where homosexuality is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, attempts to challenge Indian's anti-homosexuality mindset.
"I went ahead with the ad because it is not like any other clichéd advertisement and is something which brings about the message just correctly. It is neither in-your-face nor too subtle - just a perfect balance of the two, and crisp," Neha Panda, who acted in the advertisement, told The Asian Age.
"Somehow, I always end up getting offers to shoot for lesbian or transgender roles," she said. "I think it's because of my short hair. Initially, when I signed up for the ad, I hadn't expected this kind of response. It is overwhelming and the message seems to have resonated well with people all over the world who are sharing it all over social media."
See the ad below:
