Recently, journalist and author Yashica Dutt had expressed disappointment over lack of acknowledgment for her contributions in an episode in the second season of Prime Video’s web series Made in Heaven. Now, fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani, in a series of Instagram Stories has expressed disappointment over the use of his designs in an episode of Made in Heaven 2 without any credit. He said his designs were falsely represented by a fictitious designer on the show created by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti. Also read: Neeraj Ghaywan denies using Yashica Dutt’s life or work in Made In Heaven 2
Designer alleges misrepresentation of his clothes
Actor Mrunal Thakur, one of the brides on Made in Heaven 2, wore Tarun’s garments in the second episode of the show, which were shown to her by a fictitious designer named Akshay Jaiswal (Kashyap Harsha Shangari), under a made-up label.
On Thursday, Tarun shared a picture of Mrunal as a bride dressed in his outfit and wrote on Instagram Stories, “It is most unfortunate when a popular OTT series violates the understanding behind the provision of clothing in the first place! Case in point: Significant portions of the second episode of Made in Heaven, were styled using clothes provided by the Tarun Tahiliani studio in good faith to the stylist.”
Sharing a glimpse of another scene showcasing his designs in the episode, he wrote, “Unfortunately, a fictitious designer (actor) representing a fictitious label presented our garments! This is a shocking breach of faith. If this is what the production house intended, they should have engaged a costume designer, had costumes designed, and proceeded as they saw fit.”
Tarun shared one more photo of Mrunal from Made in Heaven 2, in which the actor was dressed in a lehenga by the designer. With it, Tarun wrote, “Let’s hope the scenario does not repeat itself with other designers, who have graciously lent their work for OTT productions. Furthermore, it is our hope that such actions will never be considered acceptable in the future,” the statement concluded.
Yashica on her ideas being taken without permission
Recently, Yashica Dutt had demanded recognition for inspiring the storyline of a Made in Heaven 2 episode directed by Neeraj Ghaywan through her life and work. The fifth episode in the show, titled The Heart Skipped a Beat, centres around an accomplished and outspoken Dalit author (Radhika Apte) and shines light on the subject of inter-caste weddings in India. It drew praise and generated discussion on the portrayal of a Dalit character in mainstream entertainment, as well the Dalit-Buddhist wedding shown in it.
Yashica Dutt said that her book, Coming Out as Dalit: A Memoir, served as an inspiration for the Neeraj Ghaywan-directed episode in the Prime Video show, but she wasn’t formally credited. She requested Neeraj and Made in Heaven creators Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti to formally recognise her contributions beyond a social media post and ‘within the show’s credits’.
About Made in Heaven
The Prime Video show is an anthology series headlined by Karan Mehra and Sobhita Dhulipala, who play wedding planners. Theirs as well as their clients’ narratives play out against the backdrop of lavish and expensive Indian weddings.
Apart from Neeraj, Zoya and Reema, the episodes are directed by Alankrita Shrivastava and Nitya Mehra. The much-awaited second season of Made in Heaven had premiered a day early on August 9.