‘We Called It A Dalit Wedding…’: Neeraj Ghaywan Opens Up About Radhika Apte's Episode Of Made In Heaven 2

Neeraj Ghaywan addressed his response to Yashica's allegations as well as the reactions to the wedding ceremony depicted in the episode.

The Dalit character's portrayal as well as the Buddhist wedding depicted in the show garnered appreciation.

Source : Instagram (neeraj.ghaywan)

New Delhi: Season 2 of 'Made in Heaven' became a topic of discussion for several reasons. Yashica Dutt, a Dalit journalist and author, wanted fair credit in season two of the series. Neeraj Ghaywan addressed his response to Yashica's allegations as well as the reactions to the wedding ceremony depicted in the episode, which received great reception on social media, in a recent interview with the Bombay Times.

The Dalit character's portrayal as well as the Buddhist wedding depicted in the show garnered appreciation and sparked discussion.
The filmmaker took issue with the term 'Dalit wedding' being used instead of 'Buddhist wedding' when referring to Radhika Apte starrer episode.

“When the response to MIH (Made in Heaven 2) came in, something inside me changed. I got heartfelt reactions from people, who thought they were finally seen and heard. Their trauma was acknowledged. The one thing that I want to humbly acknowledge is that we called it a Dalit wedding. That was wrong. It should have been called a ‘Buddhist wedding’,” Neeraj said. 

In the same Bombay Times interview, Neeraj explained the plot of his Made in Heaven 2 episode, titled The Heart Skipped a Beat, saying that it depicts the tale of Pallavi Menke (Radhika Apte), a Maharashtrian Dalit. He stated that the episode focuses on her marriage to a person from another caste.

"The episode handles this conflict. I don’t know how this is a homage to any one person. Even if you claim ownership to the term ‘coming out’, can you claim ownership to the act? So many people have hidden and then finally proclaimed their identities due to the fear of being judged. I hid my identity for 35 years, then suddenly spoke about it," he said.

Yashica Dutt recently claimed credit for using her life and career to fuel the narrative of a 'Made in Heaven 2' episode that was directed by Neeraj Ghaywan. She said in a long post to Instagram that her book, 'Coming Out as Dalit: A Memoir', offered inspiration for the Neeraj Ghaywan-directed episode in the Prime Video show, but she received no formal credit.