Sania Mirza is a poster girl no more... at least for staff at some petrol pumps in Bangalore who have cut out the tennis star’s face off hoardings following her marriage to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik.
A petrol pump attendant, who did not want to be named, said, "Customers would drive into the petrol pump and ask us why we have posters of the girl who has married a Pakistani. So we decided to remove her face." The owner of the petrol pump said he knew about the cut-outs, adding that he had feared protests from right wing organizations after Sania’s marriage.
L M Motwani, GM: Public Relations for Hindustan Petroleum, expressed total shock: "We have no idea about this. Sania Mirza is our brand ambassador. We’ll look into it immediately." Ad guru Prahlad Kakkar also reacted with disgust, "This act is extremely bad sportsmanship, and shows India in a very mean and parochial light. I’m certain that once she gets back to tennis, it won’t matter whether she’s married a Pakistani or an Eskimo." Sania Mirza could not be reached for comments.
