Online food delivery company Zomato withdrew the Hrithik Roshan-starring advertising amid controversy and issued an apology, making it clear that the "Mahakal" allusion was intended to allude to a restaurant rather than a temple.
The advertisement had been criticised by priests of the well-known Mahakaleshwar temple in Madhya Pradesh, who claimed it hurt their religious feelings and called for its removal. Narottam Mishra, the home minister for Madhya Pradesh, had ordered the police to investigate into the situation.
The priests asserted that the advertisement offended Hindu sensibilities and demanded that the food aggregator remove it. They also stated that they had spoken with Ashish Singh, the chairman of the Mahakal temple trust in Ujjain, to request action against the business.
The advertisement "mentioned 'thalis' at 'Mahakal Restaurant,' not the famed Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple," according to the company's statement. "Prima facie, the advertisement video being circulated on social media seems morphed. I have told Ujjain's Superintendent of Police to look into the reality of the video and report to me so that action can be initiated against the guilty."
The thali is a suggested item on the menu at Mahakal Restaurant, one of our high order volume restaurant partners in Ujjain, it was added.
The Hrithik Roshan starrer ad that ran in specific pin-codes of Ujjain referenced to ‘thalis’ at ‘Mahakal Restaurant and not the revered Shree Mahakaleshwar temple. Mahakal Restaurant is one of our high-order-volume restaurant partners in Ujjain and thali is a recommended item on its menu,” Zomato said in a statement posted to its Twitter account.
Narottam Mishra, the home minister for Madhya Pradesh, claimed to have ordered the police to investigate into the situation.