Kerala newlywed couple trolled, bullied online for intimate post-wedding photoshoot

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A couple from Kerala has been widely trolled and bullied online for an intimate, romantic post-wedding photoshoot they shared online. 

Rishi Karthikeyan and Lakshmi tied the sacred knot on September 16, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, they were not able to celebrate their wedding as they had planned to, along with all festivities. In order to celebrate the occasion and commemorate their wedding, the couple decided to take a unique path and came up with the idea of a themed post-wedding photoshoot. They hired a photographer and got it done at a beautiful location in Idukki’s tea gardens. 

However, little did they know that after sharing their intimate wedding photoshoot, they would end up becoming victims of cyberbullying. Their pictures were met with abuse, trolls and vulgar comments as social media users slammed the couple for posting pictures that were allegedly indecent and inappropriate. Lakshmi was bashed up for promoting nudity. 

Speaking to a media house, 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," added Rishi.

In the photos, the couple duo can be seen draped in white sheets while playfully running in the tea plantation. After posting the pictures, the couple was not only trolled online, but some neighbours and relatives too complained about the photos.