Delhi-based makeup artist Leena Bhushan has shared her side of the story after facing backlash for a video that shows her berating a team member for packing banned items in her flight luggage.
The video shows her rebuking the team member, Mehak, at an airport — “Chodh jaun yahin pe tere ko? (Should I leave you here?),” she was heard asking Mehak in the clip that has been viewed nearly 5 million times on X, sparking a wave of negative reactions.
The video was initially shared by Bhushan on Instagram, but gained wider attention after an X user reposted it with the caption: “Publicly humiliating your helper over an honest mistake on her first flight is bad enough. Doing it on camera knowing she can’t even object without fearing for her job is pure exploitation. She claimed that her team members are never mistreated outside of this high-stress moment. She pointed out that the Kashmir trip was extended by one day so the team could do some sightseeing. “They stayed in the same hotel where I stayed. Their rooms were right besides mine… we stayed in a very beautiful hotel by the lake.
Leena Bhushan, who has over 9 lakh followers on Instagram, noted that the controversial video was taken out of context and viewed in isolation. Because they had not brought Kashmiri clothes, so I bought them clothes and cookies,” she said, then they were taken to the local store in Kashmir.
Bhushan pointed out that her team members — or “girls”, as she calls them — are well looked after, especially when they travel for work. Bhushan emphasized that she treats them to food and drinks “pretty much every single day” when working in Delhi or traveling.
