Every episode in Made in Heaven season 2 addresses a particular social issue. The social issues are given more weight than character development, and that leads to very dry storytelling. It is almost as if Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti had a list in hand, and with every episode, they were ticking off one issue after another. It came across as a duty rather than an honest attempt at telling stories. There is barely any development among the returning characters from season 1. Tara is pretty much the person seen earlier—her desire to climb the social ladder and her fondness for the finer things in life are what define her. And Karan is the perpetually sad gay man who finds solace in drugs time and again. The central characters are sidetracked, but thankfully, the new characters add some color to the series.
In episode 1 of Made in Heaven season 2, we were introduced to Sarina and Aman. Born and raised abroad, Aman believed he was destined to be with Sarina. Their paths crossed in an unexpected way during Christmas, and they eventually fell in love. Sarina was not Aman’s parents’ first choice because she was a dark-skinned girl. The obsession with light skin tone is prevalent all across India, and Aman’s parents were no different. Sarina struggled to accept herself the way she was and opted for various harmful treatments to become fairer. Even though she wanted to wear pink, her parents convinced her that the color would make her look darker than usual. When Aman found out the lengths to which Sarina went to please both his parents and hers, he spoke against the beauty standard. At the end of episode 1, Sarina wore the pink lehenga she fell in love with in the first place on her wedding day. But she did not completely get over her complex as a dark-skinned woman and continued to apply fairness cream in the hopes of fitting into the Indian beauty standard.
Aniq and Adhira were the perfect couple, or so it seemed. It is gradually revealed that theirs was an abusive relationship. Aniq was a possessive partner, and he physically assaulted Adhira whenever she tried to make an independent decision. The moment Bulbul noticed Adhira’s dental injury, she knew it was a case of domestic abuse. While the Made in Heaven team chose not to interfere, things got out of hand when Aniq assaulted Adhira the night before their wedding. Adhira had a bloody face, and her parents canceled their wedding. Aniq begged Ahira for forgiveness, and at the end of episode 2 of Made in Heaven, Adhira decided to marry him. Women tend to believe that they will be able to fix broken men without realizing that that was never our job in the first place. Later, we find out that their marriage did not last, and they went their separate ways.
Kriti and Gulshan were deeply in love with each other, but the problem was that they were both married to different people. Also, shockingly, Kriti’s son asked for Gulshan’s daughter’s hand in marriage. Not only were they guilty of having an extramarital affair, but they were about to become relatives in the strangest possible way. Kriti decided to end their relationship; after all, things were getting out of hand. But gradually, Kriti realized that her son, Raj, was not in love with Gargi and wanted to marry her only to acquire wealth. Raj threw a fit when he was asked to sign a prenup (a plan devised by his mother). Once they realized that their kids were not in love, they decided to give themselves a chance. They eloped from the pre-wedding function and wrote a letter to their family, declaring how much they loved each other. Kriti and Gulshan were college sweethearts and had rekindled their romance a year ago. They were inseparable, and they believed it was time that they came clean to their families. Needless to say, Raj and Gargi did not get married.
In Episode 4, the Made in Heaven team traveled to France to attend the wedding of Bollywood actors Leila and Sarfraz. After being together for a couple of years, the couple decided to tie the knot. But more than their wedding, they were looking forward to staring together for the first time in an Anurag Kashyap film. Leila had more experience than Sarfraz, but he tried to double-cross her and replace her with a new face. He believed that after they got married, the audience would no longer be interested in watching them together on screen. Tara helped Leila make a sound decision after she found out the truth. Leila decided to launch herself as the co-producer of the film, and Sarfraz would act without pay. It was all about making Sarfraz pay, and once it was done, the wedding took place as planned.
Pallavi Manke was celebrated for speaking up against Dalit oppression, and it was her unapologetic approach that impressed Vikram, an eminent lawyer. Pallavi realized that her in-laws were only accepting of her because of her many academic accolades, but they were ashamed of her caste. While Pallavi and Vikram had agreed to a court marriage, Vikram’s parents requested a Hindu wedding, and Pallavi decided that she, too, wanted a Buddhist wedding if they were going the traditional route. The moment she took a stance, her future in-laws showed discomfort, but it was Vikram’s confidence in Pallavi’s decision that ultimately led to a beautiful ceremony. Pallavi was proud of her roots, and her wedding reflected everything that she stood for.
Shehnaz tried to be accepting of her husband’s second marriage to Elmira, but she struggled to come to terms with it. The wedding preparations overwhelmed her as she watched her life being taken away from her. She did not complain, knowing that if she divorced Wasim, she would lose custody of her two sons. But on the wedding day, she decided she had had enough. She attempted to commit suicide, but the news of the nearly fatal incident did not stop Wasim from marrying Elmira. When he reached the hospital after the ceremony, Shehnaz announced that she would be filing a petition to ban polygamy in India. She believed her husband toyed with her dignity, and she was no longer going to be silent about it. In episode 6, we also witnessed a ceremony between Aditi and Radhika. Indian law does not recognize same-sex marriage yet, so Aditi and Radhika decided to exchange vows. Even though Radhika’s parents were against it, in the end, her mother came to support her daughter.
The final episode of Made in Heaven features Roman and Julie. While Roman was a decade younger than Julie, he was dead serious about marrying her. He was in love with Julie, and since she was pregnant, he believed marrying her was the right thing to do. He was ready to sacrifice his dream of attending the Berkeley School of Music to do the right thing. When Julie realized how anxious Roman was on their wedding day, she convinced him to rethink his decision. Julie never pressured him to marry her. She was comfortable raising her child on her own, and she did not wish for Roman to spend his life wondering what if. They were in love, but they realized that marriage was not what they needed at the moment. While Roman decided to pursue his musical interests, Julie walked down the aisle alone and vowed to love herself over anyone else. Even though the groom was missing, the ceremony was in no way incomplete.
Through the weddings conducted by the planners, the creators of Made in Heaven found a way to bring forth social issues. Even though the planners have a “no judgment” policy, they sometimes get entangled in the mess. After all, who can stay silent when they witness injustice? Made in Heaven must have been bankrupt by now, considering the number of weddings that are almost canceled, but of course, logic must be left out in such cases. The social issues addressed need to be discussed in the mainstream, but at the same time, as a creative product, it is not at its finest.
