An old advertisement featuring cricket star Virat Kohli and Bollywood actress Genelia D’Souza has once again found itself at the center of controversy. The ad, which was pulled off air overnight a few years ago, has resurfaced on social media, reigniting debate over its controversial content and the sensitive issue of airplane safety.
The ad was created for a popular bag brand and featured Kohli in the role of a pilot and Genelia as an air hostess. In the storyline, Kohli is shown flying a plane when his co-pilot leaves the cockpit for a bathroom break. Genelia enters the cockpit, and a romantic scene between the two unfolds, putting the aircraft and its passengers in a fictional life-threatening situation.
The ad sparked outrage for glamorizing negligence in aviation protocols, particularly the highly sensitive environment of an airplane cockpit. Aviation experts, public figures, and social media users called it "irresponsible and tone-deaf" in terms of passenger safety. As a result, the advertisement was immediately banned from both television and digital platforms.
The controversy flared up again following a tragic plane crash involving an Air India flight in Ahmedabad on June 12, which claimed the lives of approximately 300 passengers. In the wake of this national tragedy, a Reddit user resurfaced the controversial ad, leading it to go viral once again and triggering widespread criticism online.
Interestingly, this ad had also attracted attention in the past because Virat Kohli had once admitted in an old interview that Genelia was his former celebrity crush. Although Kohli is now married to actress Anushka Sharma, his on-screen collaborations with Genelia, including this ad, had drawn curiosity among fans.
While the ad has been removed from all official brand pages and media outlets, it still appears occasionally on unofficial YouTube channels. Its resurfacing has once again brought celebrity accountability, aviation norms, and advertising ethics under public scrutiny.