Genelia’s racy ad irks airlines staff

The airlines fraternity has come down heavily on an ad featuring Bollywood actress Genelia D’ Souza where she is shown making out with a pilot in the cockpit of a plane in flight.

Spicezee Bureau

Mumbai: The airlines fraternity has come down heavily on an ad featuring Bollywood actress Genelia D’ Souza. Apparently, the fraternity has alleged that the ill-conceptualized advertisement shows members of an air crew in a bad light owing to the racy elements and sexual connotations adopted in the ad. Genelia is shown as airhostess making out with a pilot in the cockpit of a plane in flight. “It’s not funny to show that we don’t take our jobs seriously. That too, a job with so many lives at risk,” says a 27 year old pilot with Jet Airways, lashing out against the ad. “The ad agencies should not ruin our reputation. People use such ads to spread gossip about us,” said an airhostess with Go Air. “Being glamorous is important in our profession, but people think we are easy because of such media portrayal,” added another airhostess with Jet Lite. It’s not just in India. Last year, the Flight Attendants Association Secretary of Australia protested against the portrayal of airhostesses as sex symbols, saying it put attendants at risk of sexual harassment. Adman Prahlad Kakkar feels the ad may be too risque. “Frankly, a majority of our society is not ready for such ads,” he says. However, the creators of the ad feel it’s all in good fun. “It is a light, flirtatious interlude. It doesn’t put down anyone from the aviation sector or any other profession,” says Simeran Bhasin, marketing head of the company endorsed through the ad. “The ad is not meant to be taken seriously. We are not saying these things really happen,” says Arun Iyer, national creative director, Lowe Lintas, the agency that made the ad. Genelia, however refrained to comment on the issue.