BAHAWALPUR - Known for her takes on controversial matters these days, renowned Pakistani couturier Maria B has yet again landed herself in trouble, not for an opinion but a shoot of her brand’s clothing line — filmed in a graveyard in Bahawalpur. Chang Khan — a member of the Abbasi family who ruled the city censured the designer for shooting in their ancestral graveyard without seeking any prior approval. Khan took to his Instagram to share screenshots of a video from the shoot alleging that the model danced on his grandfather’s grave. Soon after the pictures went viral, netizens slammed the designer and called her out on the outrageous act.
Following the social media backlash, Maria B apologised and deleted the video of the shoot from her official Instagram account. “The recent shoot for our brand was planned and executed by a production house with the concept of showing our magnificent cultural heritage in Bahawalpur,” wrote the designer.
“The shoot was edited and published without any prior knowledge about the significance and sanctity of the site. We are grateful to the people who have pointed out this mistake and we have taken immediate action by removing all the relevant content,” she added. “Our heartfelt apologies to all those who were understandably distressed by this unfortunate incident,” said Maria B. However, her apology wasn’t enough for social media users and they continued to bash her for the photoshoot.
“This seems illogical. You and your team didn’t realize that shooting in a cemetery would be problematic,” wrote a user. “And this is why the history of art and architecture, and culture and heritage should be important subjects at the school level. Start them young, so as adults they don’t make such errors,” wrote another. Many also came to her support and appreciated her for apologising for the mistake.