A video of a woman denied entry into a restaurant for wearing a saree has gone viral on the internet. The woman shared that the workers at Delhi restaurant Aquila refused to let her enter because she was wearing a saree and the dress code of the restaurant was 'casual smart.' In the viral video, the staff is seen saying, "Ma'am, we allow only smart casuals and saree does not come under smart casuals. That's it." This irked the netizens who slammed the restaurant for being 'illogical'.
Actress Richa Chadha also reacted to the viral videos and expressed her anger. She tweeted, "This snobbery- denouncing our traditional clothes, looking down upon our own languages is the residue of post-colonisation trauma. It also creates a fertile breeding ground for fascism that exploits this very trauma. The Sari is smart, your policy isn’t! #SariNotSorry #Aquila."
The restaurant witnessed heat from netizens as well. One Twitter user wrote, "An Indian calling Indian attire unsmart. There couldn't be anything more shameful." Another tweeted, "This is the reason why India is under foreign rule since last over thousand years and exported across the globe as labourers/slaves, They are good at slavery whether mental or physical,"
Another said, "seriously. Such eating places have no right to even exist in Independent India. I am sure the license needs to be cancelled for such Restaurants/clubs who are against ethnic wear."
On the other hand, the said restaurant also witness a drop in its ratings on Zomato after the incidnet went viral. Zomato put up a message about the same and said, "This restaurant is receiving a lot of media attention due to recent events. We are monitoring all reviews closely to ensure that they comply with our content guidelines."
