Pakistani actor Ushna Shah got hitched with golf player Hamza Amin, however is grappled with online trolling by people in Pakistan who accused her of wearing a red bridal lehenga for the wedding. Post pictures of the newlyweds were floated online, many slammed Ushna for ‘dressing up like an Indian bride’ and choosing a ‘Hindu style’ wedding lehenga. Ushna had thereafter schooled the trolls stating that they have not paid for her wedding outfit. The actor had now announced that she will be taking a break from social media amidst the backlash faced by her.
On Wednesday, Ushna posted on Instagram mentioning that she ‘worked very hard’ to keep her wedding private, yet felt ‘violated’ after the pictures went online, while she was rather ‘bullied’ for choosing a red lehenga.
She wrote in a series of Instagram Stories that she had received ‘hundreds of thousands of messages’ after she married in her ‘own way’. Posting a screenshot of her conversation with a photographer who supposedly sniped a drone into her wedding, she wrote on Instagram Stories, “I apologised to AB (a fashion blogger) only to save him from trolling and I am getting mercilessly bullied for getting married my way.”
She further wrote, “For desperately trying to keep my shaadi (wedding) my own. For being upset that my nikkah (wedding ceremony) got interrupted by a drone and for feeling violated. Hundreds of thousands of messages. This is beyond cruel. Please forgive me for wearing what I wore and for trying to protect what was meant to be only mine. I did not sign up for any of this. I am bowing out of this narrative.”
Ushna posted on Instagram Stories her reason to deactivate the account, “I haven’t reacted to online trolling for years, but I am a human being at a very vulnerable time of my life. A new bride in a new home. From hiring photography teams, who signed NDAs to hiring security and (following) strict guest lists, I wanted to protect our union and only share what I was comfortable with. I worked very hard for this time to be private.”
The note further read, “Several people invaded that privacy to exploit our happy occasion, including disrupting our nikkah. Like any bride would be, I was mortified, only times a million. I had a human moment and reacted; I exposed the first person I learnet invaded my privacy…”
Ushna continued, “I have read many of the comments, they don’t seem to stop. Please believe that I did not get married to offend our culture. That was not the intention, and if that is what people feel I have done then I apologise for letting them down. I am going to sign off from this platform (Instagram) for a few days for the sake of my mental health and to spend this precious time and energy on my wonderful husband and my new family, who are a blessing. I am also questioning if I am cut out for this job. Thank you for the love and prayers.”
Earlier, Ushna had questioned people for slamming her look for her special day on her Instagram Stories on Sunday. She wrote, “To those who have a problem with my dress: you weren’t invited, nor did you pay for my shade of red. My jewellery, my jora (wedding outfit): purely Pakistani…”
