Couple Hit by Colourist Trolls Goes Viral

JABALPUR: Rishabh Rajput and Sonali Chouksey’s wedding day should have been a private celebration of 11 years of love. Instead, the happy couple from Madhya Pradesh became a global sensation for all the wrong reasons: online trolls savagely attacked the groom for his “darker skin colour” and accused the bride of being a “gold-digger.”

The couple, who married on 23 November after meeting in a college zoology class in 2014, saw their special moment hijacked by colourism and vicious speculation. Ms. Chouksey was labeled as having “some compulsion” to marry Mr. Rajput, who was mocked for not having “fairer” skin.

Despite the comments leaving both of them “reeling” and Ms. Chouksey admitting they “bothered” her, the couple chose not to retreat. Instead, they launched a forceful and heartfelt public rebuttal that quickly went viral, leading to media appearances and scores of interviews.

On Instagram, Mr. Rajput directly addressed the gold-digger accusation.

Sonali Chouksey and Rishabh Rajput met in college in 2014 and fell in love

“Sorry to disappoint you. I’m not a government employee, but I work hard for my family and want to give them a good, dignified life,” he wrote. He stressed that Sonali fell in love with him “when he had nothing,” and that she has stood with him through every moment.

He also directly challenged the core prejudice, stating, “I know very well that I have a dark complexion. But in my wife’s eyes, I am trying to be the best husband I can be, and that is what matters the most.”

The couple emphasizes that their relationship is a result of years of commitment that a short video clip cannot capture. “Those who are commenting on our relationship by looking at a 30-second video don’t know that it captures 11 years of hard work that we have put into it,” Mr. Rajput said.

While the attention is bittersweet—Mr. Rajput noted that Sonali’s dream of having their whole village witness the wedding has been surpassed by the whole world watching—they worry about the impact on their families.

Ms. Chouksey delivered a warning to keyboard warriors: “For people, it may be just something they watch on social media, but it’s our life. And it can destroy someone’s family.” Their courageous decision to fight the prejudice has turned their wedding album into a powerful symbol against digital toxicity and colour-based discrimination.