If only Ekta Kapoor’s daily soaps were not spooky enough, her recent stunt to promote her upcoming AltBalaji series Bekaaboo gave many women chills in PVRs across Delhi NCR and Mumbai. 

In order to promote and create curiosity around the upcoming series which is an erotic thriller, a bunch of posters were put up in the women’s washroom in PVRs which read, “Are you sure no one is watching you right now?” with a #AltBalajiOriginal and the series name Bekaaboo in the footer. While the thought behind this promotional strategy was indeed great, the idea was slammed by many who claimed that it got them uncomfortable and indignant. 

However Divya Dixit, Senior Vice President and Marketing Lead at ALTBalaji expressed how the main aim of the campaign was to inspire curiosity amongst its patrons by “spooking them briefly”. Trust us we get you lady! 

Dixit in an interview with HuffPost India said, “The whole show is about a “woman” who is constantly watching the male lead – hence, the line on the ad. We have also stated that it is an ad campaign for ALTBalaji and Bekaaboo, so that provides context. It was created to intrigue audiences and get them curious about the show. We consulted our legal team and even got clearance from PVR without any trouble. We haven’t received any complaints about this ad either,”

Dixit also insisted that AltBalaji logo provides context, the nature and placement of the poster in a manner that could trigger most women who have experienced being secretly filmed by friends, partners and even at random accommodations. 

Shweta Srinivasan, a therapist, mental health advocate and the co-founder of TheMindClan.com shared her first instinct upon seeing the ad as uneasy leading to a mild panic and an immediate transportation to a bad experience she had thus slamming the ad and AltBalaji for it. 

Dixit however added that Bekaaboo should be consumed purely for entertainment. “The show is fiction, and ALTBalaji and our outdoor marketing campaign has no stance on the matter,” she said. “No stance,” she emphasised.

While many took offence to this ad being placed in the intimate place and raised their concerns about triggering emotions and mental health, we greet the idea for its thought and creativity as we acknowledge the concept and context of the logo and series in the same ad shown below. 

Also, many failed to notice the ad serving its purpose of creating curiosity and spooking the lot.