#MadeInHeaven makers deny Dalit author Yashica Dutt's 'credit stealing' accusations
What's the story
A few days ago, Coming Out As Dalit author Yashica Dutt called out Made In Heaven makers for using her ideas and presenting a "version of her" without her permission in Season 2, Episode 5. On Thursday, episode director Neeraj Ghaywan and showrunners Zoya Akhtar, Alankrita Shrivastava, and Reema Kagti dismissed her claims, asserting that the episode is based on a fictional character.
Episode 5
Here's what happened in the fifth episode
In the fifth episode of the Amazon Prime Video series—helmed by Ghaywan—Pallavi Menke is portrayed as an accomplished Dalit writer who pens a book about her journey of concealing her identity and her eventual decision to embrace it. Despite attaining success, Menke grapples with the challenge of having a Dalit-Buddhist wedding due to her in-laws, who struggle to find peace with her Dalit identity.
Makers' clarification
Makers have termed her comments 'misleading'
The makers said that Dutt's comments are "misleading" and they "categorically deny any claim that Ms. Dutt's life or work was appropriated by [them]." They added that the term "coming out" was first used by Mr. Sumit Baudh in 2007 and is "common parlance for reclaiming caste identity." They, however, acknowledged that their fictional character's book was a "hat-tip" to real books, including Dutt's.
Outrage
Twitter users are furious makers haven't apologized yet
X (Twitter) users aren't pleased with the makers' clarification, with some of them stating that their new statement has somehow made things even worse. A user wrote in Dutt's support, "It is especially unfathomable why there would be so many justifications of the many other things which have also influenced the narrative while refusing to acknowledge someone who has inspired the character formally. Disappointing."
Twitter Post
Here is another tweet in Dutt's support
You are making yourselves look even worse. What you have done is extractive and to not acknowledge it, but actively deny it is horrible. You have not responded to @YashicaDutt’s concerns—at all. We are all watching — aghast at the gaslighting.
— Veena Dubal (@veenadubal) August 17, 2023
Dutt's reaction
The clarification seems to have further enraged Dutt
Dutt has been retweeting several tweets, especially the ones that say they were instantly reminded of her when they saw the episode. In an interview with Calcutta Times, she said, "Ghaywan's work is important, but this is my life." Quoting one tweet, she wrote, "Dalit women are the easiest to take from, what's the worth in their labor anyway. It's for everybody to claim."
Earlier acknowledgement
Earlier, Ghaywan had credited her on Instagram
The controversy has caught even more fire because Ghaywan had previously acknowledged that Dutt was one of the driving factors behind the fifth episode. "Thanks to @yashicadutt and her book (Coming Out as a Dalit) which made the term "coming out" become part of the popular culture lexicon for owning one's Dalit identity. This inspired Pallavi's [the fictional character's] interview section in the episode."