Did HDFC steal 'Vigil Aunty' comic character in Safe Banking Campaign? Know the truth

New Delhi: Bank fraud is a serious matter. According to a recent report on banking frauds, the main cause of the fact that 74% of Indians have never been able to recoup money lost to cyber frauds is unsafe banking practises. To combat this, HDFC Bank started a campaign to encourage people to conduct safe banking practises.

The campaign's cleverly worded name, Vigil Aunty, plays on the word vigilante. Anuradha Menon, who portrays the well-known television character "Lola Kutty," is the face of the "Vigil Aunty" campaign.

The bank's intentions to protect fellow Indians from online fraud may have been good, but the name of their campaign is already used by @appupen, an artist and the author of The Halahala Dimension. Journalist Anindita Ghose made this point on Twitter.

“@HDFC_Bank’s new campaign is foolishly lifted from Indian graphic novelist Appupen/@WorldOfHalahala. If only they knew his ‘Vigil Aunties’ are “women who support the men who support tyranny.”

.@HDFC_Bank’s new campaign is foolishly lifted from Indian graphic novelist Appupen/@WorldOfHalahala. If only they knew his ‘Vigil Aunties’ are “women who support the men who support tyranny.” pic.twitter.com/IyvOOQIsVS — Anindita Ghose (@aninditaghose) August 18, 2022

The fact that the two characters share a name, let alone one that is a unique wordplay, didn't sit well with many people, despite the fact that there may not be any visual similarity in the design or the message either of the characters seems to be conveying.

What a shame !

The most valued private sector bank can’t even turn up with a sensible poster for its campaign.Tells us how little they value their own work and the customers.@MDahariya1 — Tweetractatus (@rosharma08) August 18, 2022

A good idea destroyed by a silly campaign. And that too, lifted. — Pritish Nandy (@PritishNandy) August 19, 2022

In response to HDFC's interpretation of "Vigil Aunty," the artist included the bank's persona in a new, sarcastic strip that illustrated her transition from "indie satire comic to mainstream bigbucks advertising."

Looks like a quite a leap of imagination to say HDFC lifted it. To me it's just a simple word play on vigilante. Or are even word plays to be credited now? — Sam (@Kwantiv) August 18, 2022

Since "Vigil Aunty" will be a Social Media Influencer, the bank claims that she will keep a constant presence in the online community and "continue to educate customers about the various modalities of financial fraudsters and how to stay safe from them."