TV ad against Marathi Manoos rages Raj Thackeray

Zeenews Bureau

Mumbai: The self proclaimed custodian of Marathi Manoos in the state of Maharashtra, Raj Thackeray issued a warning against those in creative fields like films, TV and advertising to refrain from mocking the original natives of the states. Irked by a mobile phone company`s ads which shows a Marathi woman portraying a character of a maid who steals a mobile, the Maharshtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray lashed out at the makers of the ad for depicting the Marathi Manoos in a bad light. Following protests by MNS activists, the advertisement has been withdrawn from TV. In an open letter, MNS chief Raj Thakrey threatened all those who intend to demean Marathis in films, TV or ads with dire consequences. Blaming that the "Anglicized" class was prejudiced against Marathi people, Thackeray said it has become a fashion in Hindi films and TV serials to show Maharashtrians in poor light and said that the time had come to break this trend. He further stated that ad films were meant to sell products and not hurt the sentiments of locals. In his letter, Thackeray said: "If I notice any derogatory portrayal of Marathi Manoos like servants under the garb of creativity, consider this letter as a last warning. This will not be tolerated anymore. Those who are portraying such characters of Marathi Manoos, are insulting Maharashtra. Me and my party will never tolerate this."