Dalit Author Yashica Dutt Accuses makers of ‘Made in Heaven 2’ of Plagiarism, says ‘Life’s Work Taken Without Permission’

Mumbai(India), 15/08/23: Since its release last week, the fifth episode of Made in Heaven 2, helmed by Neeraj Ghaywan, has been the centre of discussion. This episode covers the crucial topic of casteism, which still exists in modern times.

Radhika Apte plays a Dalit author Pallavi Menke, who embraces her identity and advocates for her community. Yashica Dutt, a journalist and author known for her book ‘Coming Out as Dalit,’ which delves into the Dalit experience in India, took to Instagram on Monday.

She talked about how the episode triggered a strong emotional response in her and chastised the writers of ‘Made in Heaven2’ for showing a version of her life on film without her consent or credit.

Yashica shared a video clip of the show’s sequence and commented on the episode having an inter-caste wedding. Although she praised the creators for depicting a Dalit-Buddhist wedding and called the episode a ‘cinematic triumph’, she expressed her discontent that the creators failed to ‘fully credit’ her participation in shaping the ‘basic themes’ shown in the episode.

In the caption, she writes, “It’s been an overwhelming few days. Seeing my likeness on screen without warning or permission was a roller-coaster starting from thrill and excitement to sadness and loss. I continue to support @neeraj.ghaywan’s excellent work, whether now with Made in Heaven or Geeli Pucchi before. But this needs to be addressed.”

In a lengthy note, she further stated, “Before I came out as Dalit in 2016, there was no vocabulary to identify the process of revealing your Dalitness after hiding it for years and owning it with pride either. Today, in 2023, there is both. Dalit directors like Neeraj Ghaywan have revolutionised our cinematic language by showcasing unapologetic Dalits in Bollywood, a tradition that has an even longer history in Southern cinema.”

She further wrote, “The scene where the Dalit author, who is from Columbia, has written a book about ‘coming out’ and talks about her grandmother ‘manually cleaning toilets’, asserts her selfhood with her life partner-to-be, gave me chills.”

Finally she concludes, “It was surreal to see a version of my life on screen that was not, but yet was still me. But soon the heartbreak set in. They were my words, but my name was nowhere… The ideas I cultivated, that are my life’s work, that I continue to receive immense hate for just speaking, were taken without permission or credit.”