Made in Heaven is the latest series pumped out by Amazon Prime. The show stars the enigmatic Sobhita Dhulipala (Tara Khanna) and Arjun Mathur (Karan Mehra), as the new owners of a wedding planning start-up.
The start-up is created with the intent to cater to only the elite. Both the protagonists strive to make their start-up a success, while simultaneously, trying to navigate their way through their own personal drama.
Tara struggles to leave behind her lower-class background, all the while keeping up the facade of a high-end socialite. Similarly, Karan tries to hide his sexuality and atone for the poor decisions he made in the past.
While the drama unfolds, Karan and Tara become personally invested in the lives of their clients and go to great lengths to give them the best experience possible.
The Difficulties In Climbing The Social Ladder
Director Zoya Akhtar does an amazing job of highlighting atrocities faced by women, despite the great leaps made in ensuring equality between the two genders. For Tara, her struggle is with being accepted in the topmost bracket of the economic food chain she is married into.
Despite following all the directives and rules of upper-class society, she is constantly belittled and dismissed due to her previous background.
The notion is further cemented by her husband’s (Adil) affair with Faiza, who is of the same upper-class background.
Similarly, Jaspreet, a member of the startup is constantly sidelined and frowned upon because of her inferior background.
As a result, her attempts to be accepted in a work environment which is worlds apart from her reality are squashed.
Modern Day Misogyny
The show also explores other serious issues such as dowry, sexual abuse, and violation of privacy.
Despite claiming to be of a progressive modern background, and having the best education money can buy, the series establishes how blue blood mentality is extremely archaic.
This is seen when an IAS officer attempts to extort money from his fiance’s family in the form of dowry.
Moreover, the series also shows that money can make it all go away when the member of a royal family sexually abuses a lowly laborer and buys her silence with money.
Moreover, gender inequality is glaringly obvious when the truth about Tara’s husband’s affair is revealed. The backlash received from the betrayal is borne alone by Faiza, whereas Adil escapes owing to his gender.
What It Means To Be Gay In India
The series also takes a jab at the ruling party and the bureaucracy with regards to section 377. As a closeted gay man, Karan is forced to live in secrecy and hide his male conquests.
Eventually, he is outed by his closeted married landlord. After suffering from sexual abuse in police custody, Karan decides to openly advocate for LGBT rights.
However, he is met with resistance and threats from government goons. Instances like these highlight the difficulties faced by people of different sexual orientations in establishing their fundamental rights.
‘Made In Heaven’ is a unique production which succeeds in unfurling the backward mindset and secrets concealed within high-class societies.
However, for me, the show was marred by the moral compass that was Shashank Arora who gave a needless rundown of social issues by the end of each episode. Such a commentary ruined the subtle moments in the series which drove the point home.
In the end, Tara takes the high road and leaves her husband and all her efforts to blend in the uppermost strata. Whereas, Karan embraces his identity and ghosts of the pasts (mainly his first boyfriend).
However, the show has a loose ending with no solid structure to base the climax on. Anyhow, the series definitely succeeds in uncovering the reality behind big fat Indian weddings, all the while, glorifying extravaganza that comes along with the power of money.
Image Sources: Google Images
Sources: The Indian Express, News18,
Find the blogger @JhanviShah
Feature Image Credits: Rohan Bachhav
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