On Wednesday, 1st March 2023, Pakistani actress Ushna Shah deactivated her Instagram account after Pakistanis were outraged over the Indian-style lehenga she wore in her marriage ceremony on Sunday. The actress was attacked after photographs of her wedding were published on social media and people trolled her for wearing Indian-style costumes. Ushna Shah who was born in Lahore and raised in Canada married a half-Pashtun and half-Austrian golfer, Hamza Amin.
In an Instagram story, Ushna Shah wrote, “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 strict guest lists at the door, I wanted to protect our union and only share what I was comfortable with, I worked very hard to make this time private. Several people invaded that privacy to exploit our happy occasion, including disrupting our nikkah. As any bride would be, I was mortified, only times a million. I had a human moment and I reacted, I exposed the first person I learned invaded my privacy, I defended myself, I even retracted because they apologized, and I learned others were also involved, in worse ways, and because the damage done to me couldn’t be undone either way.”
Ushna Shah added, “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 apologize for letting anyone down. I am going to sign off from this platform 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 which is a blessing. I am also questioning if I am cut out for this job. Thank you for the love and prayers.”
Her reaction came after she was trolled for wearing a red lehenga to her wedding like a Hindu bride from India. She also posted a snapshot of a recent chat she had with the photographer, who reportedly brought a drone into her wedding and released her unauthorized wedding images online with the aid of a fashion blogger who was invited to the event.
Ushna Shah received massive outrage on social media
Many Muslims in Pakistan were outraged because Ushna Shah dressed like an Hindu bride from India at her wedding. Zunaira Mahum said in her video reaction that Ushna Shah’s marriage did not appear like that of a Muslim because she had invited Sikh singers to perform in her wedding ceremony.
This aunty is also very upset because Ushna Shah invited a Sikh singer to perform at her wedding because logon ko yeh lag raha tha ke yeh Mussalmanon ki shaadi nahin hai. pic.twitter.com/USxcprBtrA
— Sonam Mahajan (@AsYouNotWish) February 27, 2023
Many others criticized her for dressing like an Indian bride and disrespecting Islam. Several social media users were unhappy with Ushna Shah because she also wore bangles and her husband was dressed like a Maharaja which is a Sanskrit word for a great king.
Trolls were also unhappy that the actress wore red bangles similar to choora and referred to her husband as Maharaja, a Sanskrit title for a great king.
— Sonam Mahajan (@AsYouNotWish) February 27, 2023
To my eye, Ushna looks ethereal. pic.twitter.com/2WlrFp1vir
Hindu brides in India typically wear red lehengas on their wedding day. Since India and Pakistan have significant cultural similarities, certain rituals and dressings on some occasions overlap. While Ushna Shah had a nikah, a Muslim wedding ceremony, she was still brutally attacked by Muslim Twitter users in Pakistan for wearing something that ‘looked’ Indian, to imply she looked like a Hindu bride and sent abuses her way.
