‘We don't stage grief’: Ishitta Arun reacts to backlash over smiling video at Piyush Pandey's funeral

Actor and content creator Ishitta Arun found herself at the centre of a social media storm after a video from the funeral of her uncle, veteran adman Piyush Pandey, went viral.

The clip, which showed Ishitta smiling and talking to others during the ceremony, led many online users to slam her for being "insensitive" at a solemn event.

Now, Ishitta herself has responded to the backlash. Taking to Instagram on Sunday, the actor hit back at the trolls, saying grief cannot be "scripted" or performed for others' comfort. She said her emotions came from a place of love and memory, not disrespect.

Her post read, "Grief isn't a single script. And when you're saying goodbye to a man who laughed louder than anyone else -remembering him through laughter isn't disrespect. It's continuity. It's muscle memory. It's knowing who he really was."

"We don't stage grief. We don't mute memory to make strangers comfortable. We remembered him honestly -as laughter, courage, and life itself. Next time - know the story before you comment on the moment," read another Story.

Pandey, 70, began his advertising career in 1982 with Ogilvy & Mather India (now Ogilvy India), starting as a trainee account executive before moving to the creative side. Over the years, he transformed Indian advertising with iconic campaigns such as Asian Paints' "Har Khushi Mein Rang Laaye", Cadbury's "Kuch Khaas Hai", and the Fevicol "Egg" film.

In 2004, Pandey became the first Asian to serve as jury president at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. He later received the CLIO Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 and the Padma Shri, becoming the first figure from Indian advertising to receive the national honour.