When it comes to Indian TV, it is lean pickings. Between the regressive never-ending serials, the abysmally non-funny comedies and the cringe-worthy reality TV offerings, there is little to watch. So when a series such as Sacred Games (Netflix) or the new Amazon offering Made in Heaven comes along, I am delighted. The show created by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti (of Gully Boy, Zindagi na Milegi Dobara, Dil Dhadakne Do, Talaash fame)
It is a story about the big fat Indian wedding but much more as well. Tara is a girl with humble roots who married into a rich, prominent family and she is one half of the duo running a wedding event management company. Karan is gay; he is the other founder of the company. He comes with his own middle-class problems and baggage. Each episode tells the story of a wedding with its set of flawed people, secrets, betrayals, hypocrisies, twists and turns.
The casting is superb. Arjun Mathur as the conflicted Karan Mehra is excellent. Sobhita Dhulipala as tough but vulnerable Tara Khanna is a brilliant new find. Kalki Koechlin as Faiza Naqvi and Jim Sarbh as Adil Khanna are excellent as expected. Shashank Arora as Kabir Basrai, Shivani Raghuvanshi as Jaspreet "Jazz" Kaur, and other characters such as Vijay Raaz’s moneylender and Vinay Pathak’s genial/sinister landlord who appear repeatedly as well as plenty of episodic appearances are pitch perfect.
Critic Raja Sen calls it India's first genuinely world-class show. It is quintessentially Indian in the way that it highlights our idiosyncrasies, our preoccupations and obsession with keeping up appearances. However, the scale of the show is international; it is clever, deeply insightful about human frailty and very sophisticated in the themes it explores.
Marriage isn’t the end, but the beginning. It isn’t about perfection but the possibility of happiness in the future. This isn’t a show about simplistic, feel-good stories. It ruefully acknowledges that relationships are based on compromise and on acknowledging that people are loveable not because they are perfect, but because they are not.
The stories are complex and layered and gripping. The pace never flags you, keep wanting to know more; while at the same time being apprehensive about things that could go wrong. The series is cynical in the way that it bares hypocrisy, but it is also heartwarming and possessed of a gentle humour.
The show is about those who can afford the fancy themed/ destination weddings. Yet it is a show that explores the vicissitudes that all humans share: our insecurities, our apprehensions and our aspirations.
There are 9 episodes in this first season of the show. Many who started watching, continued watching; binging till there was nothing left to watch.
The show tackles varied issues including the sharply patriarchal stance of the very institution of marriage. It addresses feminist issues, problems that LGBTQ people confront and more.
Season one is over and people are already missing it. Is there going to be a second season? A lot of people - including me - hope so.
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