Made In Heaven Season 2 came under fire after Coming Out As Dalit author Yashica Dutt made claims against the makers of the series. She said that the episode, titled The Heart Skips A Beat, featuring Radhika Apte’s character was based on her life, however, she wasn’t given credit for the same. Responding to the claims, director Neeraj Ghaywan has refused them. Also read: BR Ambedkar’s grandson lauds Radhika Apte’s Dalit bride from Made in Heaven Season 2
Neeraj Ghaywan, Zoya Akhtar, Alankrita Shrivastava, Reema Kagti’s statement
In a statement, the Neeraj and team denied using Yashica Dutt’s life or work in the show. Clarifying all, their statement read, “We are deeply disturbed with the misleading reports and comments in context of author Yashica Dutt claiming formal credit for her ‘contribution’ to Made In Heaven, a show set around wedding planners and remarkable brides who challenge prejudices deeply ingrained in our society.”
Is Radhika Apte’s character drawn from Yashica Dutt?
Explaining Radhika Apte‘s character, the statement also mentioned, “In Episode 5- ‘The Heart Skips A Beat’, we peek into the life of Pallavi Menke a fictional character.” It continued, “None of the above is drawn from Yashica Dutt’s life or her book- ‘Coming Out As Dalit.’ We categorically deny any claim that Ms, Dutt’s life or work was appropriated by us.
“In the episode, the character, Pallavi Menke mentions her grandmother’s back story. This narrative of cleaning toilets was included because it is a common history that came up recurrently in our research of the community. Pallavi Menke’s fictional book, “Denied” is a hat-tip to several books like Ants Among Elephants by Sujatha Gidla, Caste Matters by Suraj Yengde, Coming Out As Dality by Yashica Dutt and the Tarshi article by Sumit Baudh. We have immense respect for them and their experience and their work that has admirably shed light on caste based discrimination.
“Through his previous work and this episode, Neeraj Ghaywan has added to the discourse. We made this show with sincerity, passion and a beating heart and are overwhelmed with the love we have received. We will continue to platform stories and voices that are truly bigger than us,” concluded the note.
Made In Heaven 2
Previously, several people on the internet praised the Buddhist wedding at the end of Neeraj’s episode in the show. The story revolved around Pallavi Menke, an Ivy League lawyer and author who has an inter-caste marriage. Pallavi is outspoken about her caste identity and wants to be treated as an ‘equal’, suggesting her fiancé should marry in a Dalit-Buddhist wedding. Created by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, Made in Heaven Season 2 was released on Prime Video India.