An ad portraying MS Dhoni as the multi-armed Lord Vishnu, helming mega endorsement deals, has come in for controversy. But the sporting world has come out in strong support of him. Here, the controversial image of MS Dhoni that was used by a

Chennai: Controversy courts the famous. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has learnt it the hard way over and over again. The latest allegation is to do with the Indian cricket captain having allegedly hurt religious sentiments!

When a popular magazine carried what looks like a photoshopped image of MSD on its cover, represented as the Hindu god Vishnu, complete with multiple arms, holding up different products in his hands (shoe, soft drink, mobile, the like), it seemed an apt image for the accompanying slogan, ‘God Of Big Deals’.

Though aimed at the fact that Dhoni is the clear winner when it comes to endorsements in India, Hindu religious groups have taken offence, leading to an arrest warrant being issued by a court in Andhra Pradesh.

“It’s absolutely unfair to blame Dhoni in this rigmarole; the brand that printed the image should come under criticism. Being such a national icon, it’s understandable that even the smallest things he does or says will be scrutinised; but for someone who has motivated thousands of people across the country, there are bound to be a few ill-wishers too. The public spotlight can be a double-edged sword, but this whole issue is quite ridiculous: why should we take it so seriously?” remarks actress Lakshmi Rai.

Actor Sivakarthikeyan agrees, but also adds that being part of the glamour world comes with its share of such brickbats, and it’s up to the stars to be more aware. “I haven’t seen the image of Dhoni yet, but heard about it. India is a super-sensitive country when it comes to religion and traditional sentiments. Even for a recent film in which I played a boxer, a case was filed against us for being insulting to the boxing industry! These days, anybody can file a case and we are instructed to appear in court as per the law. Today, people are obviously more educated and well-informed than earlier — but I wish they exercised some broad-mindedness,” he says.

What do other athletes and sportspeople think? Squash player Joshna Chinappa says, “When I’m endorsing a product, of course there is no intention to cause any kind of problem. Knowing how busy he is, he would have probably had only a few minutes to even be a part of this. Maybe it’s arguable that we need to be a little more careful and stay away from any kind of religious association — even if it’s unintentional. Yet, it’s lame to subject an inspiring figure like him to this kind of questioning.”

The sporting world seems to be universal in its support of him. Racer Aditya Patel is all in support of Captain Cool. “Are any of us going to say no if we get the chance to endorse 10 different products? It makes good sense to capitalise on the fame one is receiving. How can that be used as a reason to blame him? The magazine and the person who conceptualised the image should have thought this out better.”