Moral Policing: Kerala couple bullied online for 'post-wedding' photoshoot

In yet another case of moral policing, a couple from Kerala has been widely trolled and bullied online for an intimate, romantic post-wedding photoshoot shared online.

Rishi Karthikeyan and Lakshmi got married on September 16, but due to the lockdown and the COVID-19 situation, celebrations did not go as planned and remained subdued. So in order to celebrate the occasion, the couple came up with a unique idea of theme-based post-wedding photoshoot. They hired a photographer who also happened to be their friend and set off for the extremely beautiful Idukki’s tea gardens.

Absolutely unaware of what will happen next, the couple shared their intimate post-wedding photoshoot on social media and became victims of cyberbullying. Social media users slammed the couple with abuse and vulgar comments for posting pictures that were allegedly indecent and inappropriate. The photoshoot was an idea to celebrate Rishi and Lakshmi's relationship in a funfilled yet intimate manner.

Speaking to reporters, Rishi said, "Most wedding shoots are cliched, where the bride and the groom, wearing traditional veshti and saree, hold hands and walk around the temple. We wanted to do something different and decided to do a post-wedding shoot."

"Both of us were very much clothed throughout the shoot. It is impossible not to be clothed as we were shooting outdoors, in a rather public place. That the photographer was able to capture aesthetic shots of us, is purely his creativity and camera skills. But most users, especially on Facebook, began moral policing me and my wife over the nature of the pictures," Rishi added.

In the post-wedding photoshoot, the couple can be seen draped in white sheets amid lush green tea plantation. After posting the pictures, the couple did not only face online abuse but received complaints from neighbours and relatives.

Meanwhile, Rishi Karthikeyan and Lakshmi have said that they are not taking down the photos from social media platforms.

Source : DNS India