Lagaan’s ‘Kachra’ recycles himself for Zomato

It’s to show how much waste goes into making recycled goods.

Recycling himself into objects of everyday use, Lagaan’s ‘Kachra’ delivers a poignant message on the burden planet Earth faces because of plastic waste.

Made for World Environment Day, the spot shows how many kilograms of waste go into making mundane items. For instance, it takes 3-4 kg of recycled ‘kachra’ to make paperweight, or 9-12 kg of ‘kachra’ to make hand towels.

“Zomato voluntarily recycles more than 100% of the plastic used to package orders, and keeps it out of landfills. This 20 million kg of plastic waste, recycled in FY 23 under our 100% plastic-neutral deliveries initiative, can be turned into many items of immense value. We believe in the power of recycling, and kachra – the best spinner in the entire British Raj – does as well,” reads the ad’s YouTube description.

In April 2022, Zomato announced 100% plastic-neutral deliveries. The leading food delivery app will voluntarily recycle more than 100% of all plastic utilised in your order’s packaging.

It has also made ‘no cutlery required’ the default option on its app and has signed up for the ‘EV100’ initiative. It has also committed to moving to a 100% EV fleet by 2030.

Update (June 8, 2023)

Twitter users have reacted to the ad and many have termed it tone-deaf and casteist and that it has completely missed the context in which the ‘Kachra’ character appeared in the movie Lagaan.