Yashica Dutt slams Made in Heaven 2 team yet again: They couldn't stand seeing a Dalit...

Author Yashica Dutt called out the makers of Made In Heaven Season 2 for using her work without her permission. She claimed that the fifth episode of the web series titled The Heart Skipped a Beat mirrored her own life experiences. The Columbia University graduate further asserted that the makers adapted her life into their narrative and did not give her the credit she deserved. While the makers hurled counter-accusations at her, Yashica got back at them again as she defended herself.

3 things you need to know

• In the Made in Heaven 2 episode, Pallavi (played by Radhika Apte) shares a backstory similar to Yashica.
• Both the character and Yashica attended Columbia University and wrote a book embracing their Dalit identity.
• The Dalit author claimed that she just demanded acknowledgment from the makers.

Yashica Dutt issues clarification 

Yashica Dutt took to her Instagram handle to reveal that she met Alankrita Shrivastava, writer-director on Made in Heaven, in New York last year. According to her, Alankrita posed as an anti-caste ally and obtained details about her life struggles without revealing her motive. While Yashica maintained that she has respect for Neeraj Ghaywan, who directed the episode The Heart Skipped a Beat, she called out the makers of the show diminishing her claims with their joint statement. 

(Yashica reveals that she met Alankrita in New York | Image: Yashica Dutt/Instagram)

(Yashica claims she met Alankrita after exchanging a few messages | Image: Yashica Dutt/Instagram)

(Yashica Dutt says her narrative has been brutalised by the makers of the show | Image: Yashica Dutt/Instagram)

(Yashica Dutt accuses Made In Heaven makers for using her work without her permission | Image: Yashica Dutt/Instagram)

Yashica Dutt issues statement against Made In Heaven makers

Sharing the post, she wrote, "In response to my gentle demand for acknowledgment on an episode that blatantly used my likeness, the makers of MIH put out a hostile statement calling it 'misleading.'" She further added, "The distortion of this narrative is all about protecting the ‘progressive’ image of indie Bollywood as they continue to steal from Dalit people’s lives, silencing them when they ask for their rightful credit. Even the ‘vanguards’ are complicit in this." 

"I have immense respect for Neeraj Ghaywan’s struggle to make his space within these savarna power structures. But I never met him or told him my story. I met Alankrita Shrivastava. Now the same savarna power structures are pitting us against each other while making Ghaywan be accountable in public for their blatant theft. I hope this moment is a lesson that our stories are not for taking without credit or permission. This theft of Dalit labor ends now. Jai Bhim," she concluded.