02 August,2023 10:40 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Zoya Akhtar and the official poster of `Made in Heaven`
Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti's hit series Made in Heaven, which gained tremendous popularity in 2019, is finally returning with a new season after a four-year break. The series, starring Sobhita Dhulipala and Arjun Mathur, experienced significant delays, prompting concerns about maintaining audience interest.
In a recent conversation with Film Companion, Akhtar delved into the factors contributing to the long hiatus and whether it would impact the show's audience retention. The series' production was significantly affected by the pandemic, which, as Zoya noted, led to a loss of momentum worldwide. The creators were notably worried about keeping the audience engaged after such a substantial gap. "We were very worried about the audience's interest and will it sustain? But we wanted to put our best foot out there if we were doing it and hopefully, they will be back," Zoya revealed.
Reflecting on the acclaim that the first season received both domestically and internationally, Zoya highlighted the additional pressure for the forthcoming season to deliver even more intricate storytelling. "2019, it dropped and we got a lot of love for it, in India and internationally. (In the second season) The writing needed to be much deeper, more layered. The show needed to scale up in an organic way so we did spend a lot of time on the writing," she elaborated.
'Made in Heaven' has received praise and acclaim from popular audiences and critics alike. The show revolves around Tara and Karan (played by Sobhita Dhulipala and Arjun Mathur respectively) and their wedding planning agency 'Made in Heaven' that caters to the uber-rich clients of Delhi. Although the lavish Indian wedding has been a mainstay in Bollywood cinema, the show pulled back the curtains of the 'performative' love of opulent weddings to portray the fault lines, grey areas and dark side of the upper echelons of Indian society.
The show has also been acclaimed for its subtle yet decisive overtones of social commentary, concerning sexual abuse, LGBTQIA+ rights and allyship, inter-caste marriage and breaking conventions of motherhood and desire. With the second season bringing Trinetra Haldar, Karnataka's first trans doctor on board, 'Made in Heaven' will need to deliver remarkable and emotionally layered storytelling and narrative arcs, as audiences have rightly come to expect from it. We definitely know the wait will be worth it!
The second season of 'Made in Heaven' will stream on Amazon Prime Video on August 10.
