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Celebrity apologies aren’t always easy to come by, especially when they come years after the fact. But Juggan Kazim just did something rare — she publicly apologised to actor Alizeh Shah for hurting her.

Taking to Instagram, Kazim addressed Shah directly in a video. “Alizeh, I didn’t know that you were upset or offended because of the video that you’re talking about,” she said. The “video” in question? A clip from 2021 when Shah tripped and fell on the ramp during Bridal Couture Week while walking with singer Shazia Manzoor, a moment that quickly went viral.

At the time, many on the internet laughed at it. Others made memes. Some, including fellow public figures Kazim and TikTok star Jannat Mirza, re-enacted the fall with Manzoor by their side. Shah recently revealed that the moment wasn’t just physically painful but emotionally scarring. She said she was pulled and dragged on stage by Manzoor, and everything that followed — the trolling, the impersonations, the silence — left her feeling humiliated.

In series of candid Instagram stories earlier this week, Shah called out the media and the industry for not standing by her, specifically naming Kazim and Mirza for making light of the incident. “Juggan Kazim, whom I used to respect a lot…” she said, before trailing off.

That one sentence seems to have struck a chord.

Kazim, in her response, admitted the comment made her feel a lot of things. She explained that the event was four years ago and that she had been under the impression that Shah found the moment funny too. “I had no idea you were being trolled and harassed,” she said, adding, “whoever said you weren’t hurt, it doesn’t matter. What matters is how you felt.”

She also addressed those urging her to “hit back” because of her seniority. “I told them I should apologise if I hurt someone, especially if I’m a senior. I have no issue apologising to anyone.”

Pushing back against the typical defensiveness that often accompanies celebrity backlash, Kazim also had strong words for the media and content creators who she said amplify such incidents without thinking of the people involved. “Why do you guys try to make everything viral content?” she asked. “You strip people of their dignity.”

She even mentioned the recent passing of veteran actor Ayesha Khan and how online speculation about her family became fodder for clicks. The same was the case for Humaira Asghar. “Have some fear of God,” Kazim added, visibly emotional.

We don’t know how Shah will respond to the apology, but Kazim’s message seemed pretty sincere. “Betay, if you were hurt, I want to apologise from the bottom of my heart,” she added.

In her emotional confessional, Shah had laid bare years of mistreatment she says she endured in the industry — from being harassed, mocked and underpaid to having her dignity trampled in the name of entertainment. She clarified that her infamous fall on the ramp wasn’t an accident, but something she was physically pulled into — a moment she says left her shaken and ridiculed rather than supported.

She said she was done staying quiet and that she would no longer accept abuse, nor allow others to profit off her vulnerability, insisting, above all, on her right to be treated with respect.

It’s never too late to do the right thing. Let’s hope others take note.