KUALA LUMPUR: Red hot K-Pop group BlackPink just dropped its pre-release single, How You Like That, last Friday but some fans are apparently upset with a particular scene in the song's music video.
The offending segment, which had member Lisa rapping while seated on a throne, featured an ornate statue of an elephant on the floor close by.
Indian fans were quick to notice the prop, which they considered to be resembling the Hindu deity Ganesha and took offense to its placement on the floor.
According to news reports, the fans deemed it as being very disrespectful since the statues of deities should never be situated on the ground.
Some were also apparently upset over Hindu idols being used as an aesthetic in popular culture.
Recently, another K-Pop girl group, Oh My Girl, came under fire for utilising the traditional Hindu ornament called bindi as an accessory during a performance at the Kcon:Tact 2020 Summer concert.
Although Indian fans had accused the producers and BlackPink's agency, YG Entertainment, of cultural appropriation, other fans had pointed out that the elephant is a well-respected animal in Thailand and part of its cultural heritage. It's common knowledge that Lisa is a Thai national.
These fans argued that the image of the pachyderm is also featured on lots of emblems, including for the Thai Department of Fine Arts and Silapakorn University.
Indian fans apparently began trending #Ganesha and #YGapologise, to call for the offending scene in the music video to be rectified.
Although they also demanded for an apology from YG Entertainment, they made it clear that they are not blaming Lisa for the apparent faux pas.
As of now, no response has been given by the popular South Korean quartet's agency.
Meanwhile, the music video for How You Like That has so far garnered close to 141 million views and over 10 million likes on YouTube.