A television commercial for a male body spray has been taken off the air in India, after critics said it made light of gang rape.

Bollywood celebrities including Priyanka Chopra, Richa Chadha and Farhan Akhtar are among those to have lambasted the commercial for Layer'r Shot, a brand of male fragrance, calling it "shameful," "disgusting" and "incredibly tasteless."

Its controversial advert shows four men appearing to stalk a frightened-looking woman in a store before cutting to one of the men saying, "We're four, there's one, who takes the shot?"

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Only when the woman turns round does it become clear they are talking about the body spray -- which one of the men then takes from a store shelf and uses.

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The commercial caused a storm on social media, where critics including various celebrities blasted its innuendo as making light of rape.

Many said the timing of the advert made it particularly insensitive, as it was broadcast just a week after a case in which a 17-year-old was allegedly raped by five men in the southern city of Hyderabad -- the latest in a series of high-profile crimes against women and minority groups across the country.

"This advertisement is clearly promoting sexual violence against women and girls and promoting a rapist mentality among men. The advertisement is cringeworthy and should not be allowed to be played on mass media," wrote Swati Maliwal, chairwoman of the Delhi Commission for Women, to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Saturday.