Celebrity makeup artist Leena Bhushan has responded to criticism over a viral airport video in which she reprimanded a young team member over a packing mistake. Bhushan said she was extremely upset at the time because airport security had stopped her team after finding a lighter and questioned them about improperly packed battery-related items.
The incident reportedly took place at an airport in Kashmir on September 8, when Bhushan and her team were returning from a work assignment.
The makeup artist had initially shared the video on Instagram. It later circulated on X, where viewers criticised her for publicly filming and reprimanding her helper, Mehak, over the way certain items had been packed.
In the footage, Bhushan questions Mehak about putting batteries in checked luggage instead of carrying them in her handbag. Mehak was reportedly travelling by air for the first time and appeared visibly uncomfortable during the exchange.
What Happened in the Viral Airport Video?
In the video, Bhushan can be heard addressing Mehak while recording her.
“Ye dekho guys, ye iss time pareshaan hai. Mehak, kya kya packing mein lekar aaye ho, interview hai tumhara, tumhari class leni hai,” she says in the clip.
She then points out that batteries which should have been kept in hand luggage had instead been placed inside checked baggage.
“Inhone saari batteries jo handbag mein honi chahiye, rakh di luggage mein. Chhod jaun yahi pe tereko? Yahi chhod jaun?” Bhushan says.
The latter remark, which translates roughly to asking whether she should leave Mehak behind at the airport, became one of the main points of criticism online.
Social Media Users Accuse Bhushan of Publicly Humiliating Her Helper
After the video spread, several social media users criticised Bhushan’s decision to film the interaction and post it publicly.
Some commenters described the exchange as humiliating and questioned the power dynamic between a celebrity professional and a young member of her team.
One user called it “public humiliation and power abuse,” while another argued that the packing mistake could have been corrected without publicly recording the person involved.
Other reactions focused less on the mistake itself and more on the decision to share the confrontation online.
The criticism quickly shifted the conversation from airport packing rules to workplace behaviour and how senior professionals interact with junior staff.
Leena Bhushan Explains Why She Was Upset
Amid the backlash, Bhushan addressed the controversy in a conversation with Hindustan Times.
According to the makeup artist, the incident occurred after airport security stopped and questioned her team. She said a lighter had been found in Mehak’s luggage, along with battery-related items that had not been packed correctly.
Bhushan said the situation was particularly stressful because they were travelling from Kashmir, which she described as a high-security area. She also said the team had already been instructed about items that could not be carried or had to be packed in a particular way.
“Imagine having a lighter in my bag by my team, and we are at the Kashmir airport. How would you feel? I was 100% upset in that moment, but it does not mean that I mistreat them,” Bhushan told the publication.
Makeup Artist Says the Incident Was a High-Stress Moment
Bhushan maintained that her reaction should be understood in the context of what had happened at the airport.
She said she was upset with Mehak at that particular moment but denied that the interaction represented how she normally treats her team.
“I was upset with Mehak at that moment, but it does not mean that I treat her like that otherwise,” she said.
Bhushan also claimed that her team members are not generally mistreated and characterised the incident as an isolated reaction during a stressful situation.
The controversy nevertheless continues to raise a broader question about workplace boundaries: even when a genuine mistake causes frustration, should a junior employee be filmed and reprimanded publicly?
