Mallya yet to take decision on withdrawing controversial ad
PTI | 09:07 PM,Jul 19,2011"I want to make clear that there is absolutely no intention to create any rift between the two. We are all proud of them as top class international sportspersons. There is no question of damaging the personal relationship," Mallya said. "I have been a sports lover and this is not something which I will ever do. The ad is just humour and it should be taken in that spirit," he said. The United Spirits was yesterday served with a legal notice by Avtar Kaur, Harbhajan's mother, through his lawyers, Dewani Advocates & Consultants. Harbhajan's lawyers, in the legal notice, claimed that the commercial mocks the off-spinner, his family and the Sikh community. While sending the notice for ad spoof, the off-spinner's mother Avtar Kaur said these kind of advertisements bring "disunity and friction" in the Indian team and can be termed anti-national. The notice demands that the company publicly apologise to Harbhajan's family "through widely-read newspapers as well as television channels prominently" apart from removing the advertisement within three days of receiving the notice. Apart from Mallya, the notice has been sent to UB Executive Vice Chairman SR Gupte, President & CFO Ravi Nedungadi, Deputy President Harish Bhat and Executive VP (Corporate Affairs) Nandini Verma. It also seeks a compensation of Rs 1,00,000 to the cricketer's family towards the cost of the notice. Harbhajan and Dhoni endorse rival brands. The Indian skipper in an McDowell's No 1 Platinum advertisement allegedly makes fun of Harbhajan, who had featured in a advertisement for Royal Stag. Both Royal Stag and McDowell's No 1 are competing whiskey brands in the market, coming in the same price band. The ads, however, are for the soda brands.
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