One of the best and most critically acclaimed Indian web series – Made in Heaven, is back with its second season, and the reviews are rolling in. The show, which has cemented itself as one of the modern classics of Indian content for streaming, has been one of the most praised creative outputs in the last few years. Starring Sobhita Dhulipala, Arjun Mathur, Kalki Koechlin and Jim Sarbh in leading roles, the show had left fans waiting, high and dry, for four years before the launch of another season.
Made in Heaven – A Brief History
HOC Rating – ★★★1/2
Created by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, and co-written with Alankrita Shrivastava, the series follows Tara, who claws her way out of her lower-middle class standard of living by marrying Adil, her once-boss – and then establishing a wedding planning business with Karan, her friend. The storyline follows the duo navigating the trials and tribulations of their lives and the challenges they face with their respective social standings – Tara’s “class” issue, and Karan’s homosexuality in the pre-decriminalisation of Section 377 era. The second season picks up from the moment where Tara and Adil’s divorce is imminent, as she leaves with the jewelry that she had amassed over the years of her marriage and uniting with Karan, who had been facing the entire nation’s brunt of homophobia once he vocalizes his opinions with the law.
The second season complicates Tara and her emotions further, as she struggles between being cold and gritty and forgiving and kind. Karan, on the other hand, is on his way down a spiral, with his mother’s cancer and her mentally tortuous relationship with him, his newfound drug addiction, and his lacking sense of identity.
All this plays out with the episodic wedding with problems format that we had been familiarized with in the first season. Besides the former cast reprising their roles, we have actors like Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju, Radhika Apte, and Pulkit Samrat in new roles which have drawn the eyes of the viewers. Without much further ado, let us tell you about the show and what we think stood out the most, and what could be considered fails.
The Good
We cannot praise Made in Heaven without praising its production design and fashion. The creators have played on the obvious strengths of the show, with the ornate and aesthetically pleasing set design and its stylistic choices are indeed commendable. The series also tries to portray nuanced storylines that tackle the deep-rooted casteism and accurately displays how it still thrives among the so-called “progressive” people of the country, even now, when we should be far ahead of these things.
The show’s addition of the storyline of the Jauharis is also an incredible touch, with the couple’s dynamic and the complicated storytelling of mother-son relationships in the face of the culture of abuse, misogyny, and patriarchy are tremendous. Trinetra is incredible in her performance on the show, and it feels like a victory to see shows which attempt to bring proper trans representation on screen with rich storylines, and it is honestly a breather to see trans people treated as humans on screen and not vitriolic or piteous caricatures with miscast actors making blunderous press tour statements following their ridiculous performances.
The Not-So-Good
The problem with Made in Heaven S02 is that it tries to accomplish too much in too little time. While the issues and the approaches to them were commendable, the glaring fault was the lack of a timeframe to develop and resolve all the issues it attempts to tackle. At some places, the events seemed to be dragged out while at others, a quick abrupt conclusion was attached to the storyline. The story does have incredible potential, but the slowed, nuanced, intricate storytelling that the first season could boast itself of was missing in this edition. Tara’s storyline also is a letdown, considering the grit that viewers expected was sorely missing, and it leaves several loose endings. If the makers just let themselves have some more time to flesh out the narratives on screen, it would have strengthened the show beyond belief.
Final Verdict – Made in Heaven is a strong 3.5 stars out of 5. In the unending content holes that the OTT platforms serve as as of late, this series is a lifesaver. With good writing, excellent performances and proper production – shows can achieve excellence and Made in Heaven is proof. If you are planning to watch this, you should avoid further delay and catch up on it.
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