Opening Doorz

By Moody Marty | Opening Doorz Editorial | August 27, 2026

Whether it’s Kriti Sanon taking criticism on the chin and walking away regally, or the late Dara Singh subjecting a major dairy company to a tough 30-day kitchen test, brand endorsements should never be about cashing a quick cheque. It has to be about having unshakeable conviction.

GIVA Took… With a Firm Sleight of Hand!

You have to both give and take; that’s the basic rule of trade and applies to life as a whole. However, from time to time the game violates its own rules and a team ends up rewriting the playbook while still on the pitch.

When the online crowd surrounded GIVA’s Raksha Bandhan campaign at their goal line, all people expected to see a nervous kick out of bounds—something quiet and corporate meant to get through the storm of criticism. But instead, GIVA managed a rare occurrence: they launched a high, full-pitch strike directly from their own penalty area, which flew completely over the opposing team’s heads and knocked straight into the top corner of the net, just as Pat Jennings had done in 1967 (Tottenham Hotspur versus Manchester United).

It was a wild, unforeseen goal that left the whole defence bewildered; the critics stared at one another, completely at a loss to understand how they had just lost control of the game.

GIVA Rakhi Ad Controversy

Let’s go through the tape again. The commercial had ended; the moral police then lost their collective sanity over the deep neckline, whereupon the pitchforks appeared. But before the opposition could declare victory, the narrative changed and became a prime example of modern brand placement.

To start with, there’s no such thing as taking a chance on Kriti Sanon; she is extremely brand-sensible, sharp, articulate, and possesses a genuine, grounded composure that makes her a useful asset for any product. When the critics attempted to criticise her festive clothing, Kriti didn’t back down. Instead, she took a direct approach and stated that tradition resides in a woman’s heart, not in the neckline of her dress. She didn’t merely defend her outfit; she turned the situation around. She acted in the way that every dedicated Brand Ambassador ought to: by standing up for her beliefs and for the brand.

The next item was the idea of tying a raakhi around a pet dog. Once again, the outrage machine completely misunderstood the situation. Animal lovers were not upset at all; on the contrary, they were cheering. Since millions of people nowadays regard their pets as part of their family, and since at its heart Raksha Bandhan is a celebration of protection, it is clear that no creature guards a home with a loyalty that is more steadfast and unshakable than a dog; therefore, extending a symbolic thread to a pet is not a breach of culture but simply a reflection of the tradition’s true spirit.

Even though GIVA officially took the clip off the platform, the harm to the opposition had already been caused. The campaign achieved huge organic reach, took hold of the cultural discussion, and left the outraged group alone on their side of the field.

They believed that they had GIVA cornered with their petty thinking.

But with GIVA, you never just give and take… In this case, GIVA took!

The Dara Singh Test before Promotion of a Ghee Brand

In today’s age, when celebrities cash in their endorsement cheques faster than the ink can dry on the contract, promoting product purity seems more like something from another millennium. Yet back when brand agreements never came with social media outrage or PR crisis managers, India had its very own Rustam-e-Hind and operated on a completely different set of rules.

As Vindu Dara Singh, his son, remembered, a well-known dairy company had once offered the famous wrestler a very attractive and highly profitable contract to act as an endorser for their ghee. The brand’s marketing team considered the plan infallible—they would pair India’s undisputed champion of strength with a traditional health product, then sit back and watch sales rise dramatically.

Dara Singh wasn’t interested in serving as a human billboard; he refused to sign the contract or to take the money immediately. Instead, he set a strict condition for the company: The One-Month Test.

He had the company send another batch of the ghee straight to his kitchen. For 30 days, he ate it every day as part of his strict routine. Instead of relying on laboratory reports or corporate pitch decks, he closely monitored his body and checked whether the product changed in texture or colour, or caused even the slightest sluggishness in his physical performance. He only approached the camera once he was entirely certain the product was pure and unadulterated.

This was no simple stunt: Dara Singh refused huge, cash-rich offers from vegetable oil companies because he firmly believed hydrogenated fats were bad for one’s health; if he genuinely believed the contents of the jar were harmful, no amount of money could make him change his mind.

Look at the situation nowadays with endorsements, where celebrities regularly promote pan masala, unverified crypto apps, and questionable health supplements, only to issue pre-written “apology statements” as soon as public criticism reaches them.

Dara Singh knew what modern celebrity culture has forgotten: an endorsement is not simply a transaction; it is your word, and when the strongest man in India gave his word, you knew it was rooted in truth.

We now have Tukaram Mundhe challenging our Silver Screen giants for promoting paan masala, which I am sure they don’t consume!

[Moody Marty: Sometimes funny, sometimes informative, always downright forthright!]

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