Ushna Shah deactivates her Instagram account after backlash

Within hours the actress issued a public apology as she wanted to “move on.”

LAHORE (Web Desk) - Actress Ushna Shah deactivated her Instagram account on Wednesday in a move to protect her mental health that was deeply affected by the social media trolling at her wedding.

Following the controversy regarding her wedding event, Ushna wanted to take a few days off social media as she planned on spending her time with her husband, Hamza Amin.

Shah found herself caught up in an Instagram war last week after she “allegedly bullied a blogger” for bringing a plus one, a photographer who brought a drone when the invite was only the former.

However, within hours the actress issued a public apology as she wanted to “move on” and enjoy her big day.

The starlet took to her Instagram and shared long notes on stories to elaborate on her take regarding the entire episode and announced that she will be taking a break from social media for a few days since the negative comments have affected her mental health deeply and made her question her profession.

In the first part of the story, she confronted a photographer who released “unflattering” pictures of her from her wedding and multiple portals picked it saying “I apologised to AB [Lakhani] only to save him from trolling and I am getting mercilessly bullied,” Shah said, referring to an apology she posted and later deleted to a blogger whom she slammed on social media for bringing a photographer and drone to her wedding.

“I am disgusted and feel violated. AB Lakhany, of Moovyshoovy was invited out of obligation as I have known him for years and he happened to be at the office where we were designing invitations. His invite said strictly no plus one,” she wrote. “He was then sent a memo along with other guests to not record personal moments, especially the nikah. Not only did he bring a plus one, but he also brought a photographer without permission [and] lied to my family that I had allowed this. That photographer then sent exclusive unapproved photos to various [media] portals,” she wrote in an Instagram story that has since expired.

In another Instagram story, she went on to add that she hasn'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,” she wrote.

“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 I reacted, I exposed the first person I learnt invaded my privacy, I defended myself, I even retracted because they apologised and I learnt others were also involved, in worse ways, and because the damage done to me couldn’t be undone either way.”

"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 wasn't the intention and if that is what people feel I have done, then I apologise for letting anyone down. I'm going to sign off from this platform for a few days, for the sake of my mental health and to spend this precious time with my wonderful husband and my new family, who are a blessing," she wrote adding that this incident has made her question whether she's "cut for this job" or not.