Zomato withdraws Hrithik Roshan’s ‘Mahakal thali’ ad, issues statement following protests

New Delhi: Amidst a controversy regarding the advertisement video featuring Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan that has gone viral in social media, the food delivery company Zomato has now issued a clarification on the same.

They tweeted their statement that read, "The Hrithik Roshan-starrer ad that ran in specific pin codes of Ujjain referenced 'thali' at 'Mahakal Restaurant', and not the reversed Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple. Mahakal Restaurant is one of our high-order-volume restaurants in Ujjain, and thali is recommended item on its menu."

"The video is part of a pan-India campaign for which we identified top local restaurants and their top dishes based on popularity in each city. Mahakal Restaurant (simplified as 'Mahakal') was one of the restaurants chosen for the campaign in Ujjain", added the statement.

"We deeply respect the sentiments of the people of Ujjain, and the ad in question is no longer running. We offer our sincerest apologies, for the intent here was never to hurt anyone's beliefs and sentiments," it concluded.

In the ad, Hrithik says, "Thaali khane ka mann tha, Mahakaal se manga liya (wanted to have a food platter, so I ordered it from Mahakaal)”.

Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh government has ordered an inquiry into the matter.

“A directive of this nature was issued to the Superintendent of Police, Ujjain,” state Home Minister and the dispensation’s spokesman Narottam Mishra told media representatives here on Sunday. (Inputs from agencies)