Bengaluru: A few days ago, actor Rahul Bose lamented that he had been served a bill of Rs 442 for two bananas by JW Marriott Hotel in Chandigarh.

As his grouse went viral, the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI) sprang to the defence of JW saying there was nothing in the billing.

In fact, Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, the vice-president of the association said that the GST of 18% levied was "a legal requirement incumbent upon the hotel".

And in order to add more substance to his claim, he even said, “Unlike a retail store where bananas can be purchased at market price, a hotel offers service, quality, plate, cutlery, accompaniment, sanitized fruit, ambience and luxury, and not the commodity alone. A coffee available at ₹10 at a roadside stall could be served at ₹250 in a luxury hotel."

Now, leaving aside the explanations, for a common man, a sum of Rs 442 is not just astronomical, but takes a hard day’s labour to pocket it! In fact, even if you have your breakfast, lunch, supper and dinner in a decent hotel, you would not be spending the entire amount of Rs 442 on them!

Anyway, the moment Bose’s story went viral, many brands began to make use of his predicament to advertise their products and services most effectively!

From Reliance to Nature’s Basket to Pizza Hut, every brand exposed the vanity of paying such a huge sum for a mere two bananas and gave out a list of how what all could be offered for the same price, with the help of word play and graphics!

Indeed, has JW gone bananas?