Polygamy in Muslims, plagiarism of Tarun Tahilian's bridal wear, Dalit writer's credit claim: A look at Made in Heaven 2 controversies

Amazon Prime Videos Made in Heaven 2 is garnering mixed reviews. The series focuses on various taboo topics as it revolved around wedding planners, from gay-lesbian marriage. Talking about article 377, dowry issue, infidelity, polygamy, celeb weddings and much more.

Ever since Made In Heaven Season 2 has been in the eye of controversy ever since its release. The Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti web series has been under fire ever since the makers showcased Dalit marriage in episode 5 where Radhika Apte was the Dalit bride.

If this wasn't enough, designer Tarun Tahiliani accused the makers of plagiarism. After this, netizens slammed Zoya for stereotyping Muslim characters.

Let's take a look at the controversies surrounding Zoya's Made In Heaven

Stereotyping Muslims

The Muslim character of Shehnaz was played by Dia Mirza in Made In Heaven. Shehnaz spoke against polygamy and stood against her husband's decision to get married.

While polygamy is allowed in Islam, Shehnaz could not envision being separated from her kids and cut off her wrist. When Karan Mehra, one of the central protagonists played by Arjun Mehra, saved Shehnaz, she realises her mistake and decided to challenge polygamy in court.

"Zoya can you (name) a normal Muslim character in your shows? One positive story that is not oppressed", wrote the netizen.

Reacting to the Instagram user, Zoya Akhtar pointed out all the Muslim characters in her films which she has portrayed in positive light. She wrote, "Zaffar Khan and Tanveer in Luck By Chance. Imran and Laila are in ZNMD. Farah Ali in Dil Dhadakne Do. Practically everyone in Gully Boy. Sarfaraz Khan and Leila Shirazi, Kabir, Faiza and Nawab in Made In Heaven."

Tarun Tahiliani calls out 'Made In Heaven 2' for 'shocking breach of faith'

Tarun Tahiliani recently took to his Instagram Stories to call out the makers of Made In Heaven 2 for using his creations in an episode in the series without giving him proper credit.

Ace Indian designer Tarun Tahiliani wrote, "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."

"Unfortunately, a fictitious designer 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," he added.

The bridal couture of Tarun was seen in the episode featuring Mrunal Thakur as one of the brides, the actress wore an ensemble, originally by Tahiliani, but played by a fictitious designer named Akshay Jaiswal, under a not real label.

Dalit representation

Writer Yashica Dutt, the author of a book titled Coming Out As Dalit, argued publicly that Radhika Apte's Pallavi is a version of herself and called out the makers for failing to credit her.

In her note, Yashica Dutt explained how thrilling it was for her to see Dalit representation on screen, calling it a "cinematic triumph".

Just as Pallavi reclaimed her power in Made In Heaven, Yashica Dutt wrote about reclaiming her "worth and contribution to the discourse and history."

The makers of Made In Heaven have addressed claims by writer Yashica Dutt.

In a post, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Alankrita Srivastava and episode director Neeraj Ghaywan denied that the Dalit bride played by Radhika Apte was drawn from Yashica Dutt and her life.

She said, "We are deeply disturbed with the misleading reports and comments in the context of author Yashica Dutt claiming formal credit for her contributions to Made In Heaven, a show set around wedding planners and remarkable brides who challenge prejudices deeply ingrained in our society. In Episode 5- 'The Heart Skips A Beat,' we peek into the life of Pallavi Menke a fictional character. Pallavi Menke is a Maharashtrian Ambedkarite from the Vidarbha region who studied law at Columbia University. She grew up using a caste-neutral surname and was called Pallavi Kumar. She has now reclaimed her original surname, Menke - a signifier of her true identity as a member of the Dalit community. Pallavi Menke is an academic who teaches at Columbia and is likely to be tenured as a professor. She is a recipient of an Amnesty Award. All of this earns her the respect of her prospective in-laws, who belong to a different caste. At the same time, her in-laws think her identity as a Dalit is better brushed under the carpet."

"The central conflict of the episode is whether Pallavi should fight to have the wedding rituals that are a signifier of her identity, or not," the note explained.

"None of the above is drawn from Yashica Dutt's life or her book- Coming Out As Dalit.' We categorically deny any claim that Mrs Dutt's life or work was appropriated by us," read the note, "In the episode, 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 Gidia, Caste Matters by Suraj Yengde, Coming Out As Dalit by Yashica Dutt and the Tarshi article by Sumit Baudh."

"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 bigger than us," the note ended.

About the show 

The second season of "Made In Heaven" is created by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, and revolves around Tara Khanna (Sobhita Dhulipala) and Karan Mehra (Arjun Mathur), co-owners of a wedding planning agency.

Apart from Sobhita and Arjun, other returning actors include Jim Sarbh, Kalki Koechlin, Shashank Arora, Shivani Raghuvanshi, and Vijay Raaz. New additions to the cast include Mona Singh, Ishwak Singh, Trinetra Haldar, Mrunal Thakur, Radhika Apte, Shibani Dandekar and Sarah Jane Dias.