Much to nobody’s surprise, the Indian drama web television series, Made In Heaven has become a sort of instant favourite with people calling it the most binge-worthy show to hit the net in recent times. The brainchild of Zoya Akhtar and Reema Katgi, the nine-episode series chronicles the lives of Tara and Karan who run a wedding planning agency called Made In Heaven.
While the show itself is based on the recession-proof wedding industry, it is brilliant in the sense that it manages to capture almost every aspect of Indian society – from the snobbish ‘Dilli ki billi’ to the girl from the ‘gutter’ who is trying to make it big in the world.
While it starts off a little slowly, it manages to catch steam somewhere during the third episode and the ride after that is bumpy, wild and absolutely tantalising. Of course, it is sensational but that’s what gives it that added bite.
Sobhita Dhulipala
Dhulipala as the poised, ambitious and ruthless Tara Khanna is an absolute delight to watch. She’s a fantastic actress – her accents as the girl from the ‘gutter’ and the one who’s married into an industrialist family are a brilliant study in contrast. Of course, she also looks drop-dead gorgeous. She’s one to watch for sure.
The LGBTQ+ angle
Trust Zoya Akhtar and Reema Katgi to explore the homosexual angle in such a sensitive manner. Arjun Mathur’s sexual orientation in the show is so normalised that one is not at all surprised to see him playing tonsil hockey with Vikrant Massey. The fact that the creators have managed to show his privilege and the lack thereof parallelly is a testimony to their talent and skill. Mathur, of course, is brilliant and plays the character with equal amounts of grace and anger.
The Indian hypocrisy
From the closeted landlord who spies on the handsome tenant having sex to the progressive family that wants the ‘manglik’ girl to marry a tree, the show exposes the hypocrisy of Indian families. The landlord, unable to confront his truth, is willing to destroy multiple lives while a bride-to-be is okay with marrying a gay dude because “log kya kahenge”. Shweta Tripathi as Priyanka Mishra makes an important point in the fourth episode which is an absolute must watch. Jim Sarbh is so good that he makes you hate him and Excel Entertainment favourite Kalki Koechlin’s character manages to frustrate the hell out of you – one wants to grab her by the shoulders and ask her to get her act together.
The fashion
Dhulipala’s sense of style in the show is fabulous – what Scandal did with Olivia Pope, Made In Heaven does with Tara Khanna. Her corporate chic outfits are to die for as is that red saree she dons in the final episode. Shashank Arora is delicious as Kabir Basrai and the whole IDGAF vibe he exudes is sexy as hell.
The visuals
Made In Heaven is Dil Dhadakne Do meets Band Baaja Baarat. It’s upper-class Delhi meets middle-class Delhi, it’s all about the scandal, the skeletons in the closet and the unexpected boudoir behaviour that makes the show a binge-worthy watch.
