Kerala couple abused for their offbeat wedding photoshoot

Mangalore Today News Network

Idukki, Oct 22, 2020: Wedding photoshoots have become a trend for young couples. A Kerala couple was trolled online for their intimate post-wedding shoot.

Rishi Karthikeyan and Lakshmi got married on September 16, however, they didn’t get a chance to do a photoshoot due to coronavirus restrictions. When they got the chance to do it recently, they decided to "appear" scantily dressed.

The newlyweds draped themselves in white sheets while their photographer friend Akhil Karthikeyan shot pictures of them in the tea plantations of Vagamon in Idukki district of Kerala.

While most couples go for a wedding photoshoot in traditional clothes, Rishi and Lakshmi wanted to try something new.

However, as soon as the pictures from the post-wedding photoshoot were posted online, netizens slammed the couple for indecency. Lakshmi was called out for "nudity".

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

"I am somebody who wears off shoulder clothes and shorts. Showing my neck or legs does not qualify as nudity. But I was hit with a storm of horrible comments when the pictures were posted on Facebook. Initially, we responded to some of the comments, but then the pictures went viral and it was overwhelming to have to respond to trolls. So we decided to ignore it," Lakshmi said.

Rishi said that none of his family members objected to the shoot. However, Lakshmi’s neighbours and distant relatives called up her parents to complain.

"They kept talking about privacy and why we would shoot ’something’ (the intimacy) that should be done within four walls. On the internet, they slut-shamed me and insulted my family and posed questions such as “are you wearing clothes underneath?" Lakshmi added.

Lakshmi said that she had a word with her parents and was able to make them understand that "people are of different sorts and that it doesn’t work if we have to consider the opinion and judgements of everybody else."

Rishi and Lakshmi said that they won’t take down the pictures from Facebook. They have decided against replying to the troll or taking legal action.