'Problematic', Nitin Gadkari Receives Flak Over Akshay Kumar's Ad That Allegedly Promotes Dowry

Union Road, Transport, and Highway minister Nitin Gadkari has been slammed on social media for sharing a road safety ad campaign that features Bollywood star Akshay Kumar.?

Critics have pointed out that the advertisement that was supposed to promote road safety is 'problematic' as it encourages the 'dowry' culture, which is a punishable offense in India.?

web screen grab

Gadkari caught the attention of social media critics on Friday after he shared the video on his official Twitter handle amid the central government's attempt to promote road safety by having six airbags in cars.?

web screen grab

Soon after, criticizing Gadkari on the micro-blogging platform over the "problematic" advertisement, Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote, "This is such a problematic advertisement. Who passes such creatives? Is the government spending money to promote the safety aspect of a car or promoting the evil& criminal act of dowry through this ad?”?

National spokesperson of Trinamool Congress Saket Gokhale also took a dig at Gadkari and expressed that it was "disgusting to see the Indian government officially promoting dowry."?

"This ad is the pits. Lost the plot completely. Is this about the wedding, the bride or that dowry should be 6 airbag car-what is it? These govt ads are so puerile and ill-conceived. They couldn't talk about safety any other way?" a third user tweeted.?

web screen grab

"Not everyone can afford airbags. Instead try to improve the road safety, design, lights, and signs as well. Many accidents happen due to dividers which people cannot see on dark roads," another said.

About the Road Safety Ad campaign

The road safety ad featuring Akshay Kumar has gone viral on the internet and shows a father crying while bidding farewell to his daughter, who just got married.?

Actor Akshay Kumar is seen donning the khaki uniform in the advertisement and can be heard taunting the girl's grieving father for sending the bride and the groom in a car that has only two safety airbags in it.?

Here's Gadkari's viral tweet:

He then asks the father to send them in a car that has six airbags. Gadkari shared the advertisement alongside a caption that read in Hindi, "Make life safer by traveling in a vehicle with 6 airbags."?

Meanwhile, the government launched the road safety advertisement after the tragic death of Cyrus Mistry, the former chairman of Indian conglomerate Tata Sons, in a deadly car accident on Sunday.?

(For more news and updates?from the world of?celebrities?from?Bollywood?and?Hollywood, keep reading?Indiatimes Entertainment, and let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments below.)