KUALA LUMPUR – Foodpanda Malaysia has received severe criticism from netizens after an advertising video that the company produced was accused of cultural appropriation and racial discrimination against the Indian community in the country.
The 30-second clip, which was titled “Pollywood” on the food delivery company’s official YouTube account, depicted members of a Malay family singing and dancing to an Indian tune while dressed in traditional Indian attire.
The video was part of a promotional campaign for the platform’s upcoming television drama series Delivery Ke Hati Seri, a story about a three-generational household influenced by their love for Malaysian shows ranging from P. Ramlee films to Bollywood movies.
In a statement today, Foodpanda said the video is part of its #TakkanTakTahu campaign, in which a series of music videos reveal lesser-known features and hacks on the app.
Marketing chief Vanita Menon Kris said: “In hopes of elevating and enhancing their app experience, we have released a series of earworm music videos and minisodes to arm our customers with secret hacks, ranging from stacking discounts with vouchers for additional savings, to collecting loyalty points through challenges and badges and even saving on delivery fee through the Group Order function.”
“In our very own Delivery Ke Hati Seri minisode series, we follow the story of Seri and her three-generational family as they go through their daily lives using the various Foodpanda JOY hacks.
“The musical inspirations include a barbershop quartet on our loyalty programme, a K-Pop rap about stacking discounts with promo code, a Bollywood performance on group orders, and many more.”
She added that the campaign is put together to reach mobile-first audiences like Gen-Y and Gen-Z users, coinciding with the launch of Foodpanda’s Delivery Ke Hati Seri television series.
It will debut on TV3 at 7.58pm and at 8.28pm on TV9 on October 11.
However, many social media users expressed their discontent with the advertisement, with the general sentiment being one of disbelief that no Indian talents were hired to be featured in the commercial as it had obvious influences from said culture.
An Indian-style ad by a German-owned company, done for the Malaysian market, featuring not one single person of Indian ethnicity in it.
— Media Dude (@willworkforpork) October 4, 2021
Were you TRYING your best to go for cultural appropriation, @foodpanda_my? https://t.co/G1zDtpTKJx
Twitter user @mynikkaname called the commercial yet another act of oppression against the local Indian community, referencing the racist remark made towards national badminton player S. Kisona a few days ago to emphasise her point.
Using Indian's culture as a way to gain profit or as entertainment but there's zero Indian talent. From using racial slur on an Indian athlete, to renting discrimination to this, these couple of days really show that we truly need to be better in treating the minorities. https://t.co/iFJ45klSMC
— Saranikka (@mynikkaname) October 5, 2021
@VaneeshaKrish also expressed disappointment in the talents featured in the video, among whom were Adibah Noor, Shawn Lee, and Nadia Aqilah.
“To make space for the marginalised community in the media industry, all of us need to actively voice out and oppose discrimination as creatives,” she tweeted, adding that the erasure of marginalised communities from mainstream media is a recurring issue.
@foodpanda_my this is appalling.
— Neesha ?✊? (@VaneeshaKrish) October 4, 2021
An Indian-themed commercial featuring our culture, yet not a single Indian person in sight? So tired of how local brands and the media continue to appropriate from marginalized communities yet ERASE us from mainstream content. pic.twitter.com/W3H25BzFDo
The Vibes attempted to reach out to Adibah Noor, who appears in the video. However, the local actress and songstress declined to comment, saying that “it is not (her) place to give any comments pertaining to the matter”.
In light of the controversy surrounding the advertisement, Twitter user @Roshinee_M took the opportunity to clarify common misconceptions regarding Bollywood and Indian culture.
To those who need to hear this: Bollywood is not an actual Indian culture. It’s a film genre, kawan-kawan - it is a highly idealised, highly glamorous film aesthetic.
— Helter Skelter ? (@Roshinee_M) October 5, 2021
My culture is not Bollywood, I don’t dress Bollywood. Yall really think my lifestyle is like Devdas ke ?
Some of the many voices addressed the thin line between cultural appreciation and appropriation, questioning if such separation can be maintained in a multi-ethnic nation like Malaysia.
So how to promote cultural appreciation if others are not allowed to celebrate other cultures? No offense just my genuine curiosity if the video involved multiple Indians, would there be any issue?
— Adam Potato (@AdamSafOne) October 5, 2021
Following the uproar on Twitter, the food delivery platform has taken down their Facebook post of the video. However, the video can still be viewed on its YouTube channel, along with a teaser of Delivery Ke Hati Seri. – The Vibes, October 6, 2021
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