The fifth episode of Made in Heaven season two had Tara and Karan handle two different weddings individually, and amidst some disagreements, the weddings finally took place. Pallavi proves her point, which further allows Vikram to broaden his mindset about her politics. Vidya, on the other hand, took a step back for her son and let him meet his father to cheer him up.
Spoilers Ahead
Dhruv is caught lying
Dhruv’s younger brother, Gaurav, comes clean about the video he was shown by Dhruv and his friends. Bulbul is shocked to witness her son indulging in nefarious activities and supporting his friends nonetheless, without understanding the consequences of their actions. Dhruv’s mindset stems from the kind of information his best friend Chetan feeds him. The idea of women having agency and choice and the boys as young as Dhruv seeing that as a threat, which resulted in them shaming the girl, is a problematic trend, and it needs to be rectified. Bulbul takes on the monumental task of changing the way her son thinks of women around him.
Bulbul, for the first time, opens up to Dhruv about his abusive father and family. In a typical Indian household, incidents of violence are considered a personal matter, and people walk away without even offering to help the victim. Dhruv’s father tried to kill an infant Dhruv, which provoked Bulbul to murder him. The crime led to a barrage of accusations being hurled at her character. Jauhari rescued her by coming forward as a witness and proclaiming the murder an act of self-defense. There is not much discussion about how she found love for her current husband, but it is assumed that she respects him for letting her be. This confession is haunting because it is the tale of many women who are forced to stay in a marriage, even if it jeopardizes their self-respect or dignity. Dhruv finally understands his mother’s stand, and it is heartening to watch a woman being able to impart the right kind of knowledge about consent to her son, which is rare to find in the Indian community.
Tara and Adil make a compromise
Tara thinks a lot of their demands are getting lost in arguments, and it seems there’s going to be no end to this until and unless they reach a final agreement. Tara and Adil sleep with each other because there are still some lingering feelings they have for one another because of their history, which is just what Faiza feared. It seems odd for Tara to be sleeping with Adil because of the hatred she carries for him; the viewers wonder if she manipulated him into this. That turns out to be true because she now asks for the Khanna house in the settlement. It is implied that she is using the information of him sleeping with her as a way of blackmail to get things done her way. Faiza will believe her, for she is gullible and vulnerable, and Adil has nothing on Tara to use in his favor. Tara is toxic and a manipulator, and Adil makes the mistake of going out of his way to threaten her.
Meher and Danish
Meher matches Danish on a dating app, and they immediately hit it off. It seems Danish could be the right person for her. It is interesting to watch Meher, who is good at her job at this moment, because she still has plenty of insecurities and fears about meeting men and not wanting to get hurt because they eventually stop understanding who she was and is right now. Meher’s self-doubt is a representation of many trans men and women who, in general, are looking for acceptance, which is hard to find, keeping in mind that people are still unaware of their community and that we must try to integrate them into our society. Danish could be the guy who will probably just let her be. If only there were stories about Meher’s friends from the trans community as well, the viewers could understand their point of view about their struggle for acceptance.
Karan’s Dilemma
Karan goes through turmoil because of his mother, and he is unable to share the pain with his boyfriend Akshat as well. He has been in denial, which is again very unlike him. Karan is known to be close to his friends, and there is nothing they do not know about him. The writers and the directors missed out on bringing in characters who were his friends in season one. This was an oversight because now it seems Tara is his only friend, which is untrue. Akshat confronts Karan’s unwillingness to share his feelings and concludes that maybe Karan has intimacy and trust issues, which is again not the case. Karan is unwilling to deal with reality, and he has no answers for his brother as well. This behavior leads to Karan breaking up with Akshat.
What Happens With Shehnaz And Radhika?
Shehnaz is the first wife of Wasim Khan, a rich businessman in Delhi, and he is all set to marry Elmira, a Middle Eastern woman. This episode is about how the system of polygamy in Islam is always misused by the men of the subcontinent without realizing the repercussions of it on their first wives. Shehnaz and Wasim have been estranged for some time, but she is forced to stay with him to take care of their sons, for he is sure he will win custody of his kids if she chooses to go to court. Shehnaz goes through a range of emotions as she sees everyone in the family, except her and her sons, happy with the match. The rest of the family was willing to turn a blind eye to the fact that Shehnaz would bear it just like she bore this marriage.
Elmira, the new bride, is in denial about what Wasim put his first wife through, and he will probably do the same with her eventually. Jazz and Karan are the flies on the wall of these unfolding events, and they can’t seem to do anything about the injustice. Shehnaz has also given up because the household disregarded her fight to live with dignity. There are a lot of similarities between how Faiza is treated by her parents and how Shehnaz is put through a similar situation in the name of retaining the sanctity of the family, where individualism is looked down upon. Shehnaz attempts to commit suicide on the night of the Nikah as a way of giving up on people who never respected her. Karan moves her to the hospital and asks her to fight for herself because no one else will. Wasim visits her, and she lets him know about her intention to divorce him and fight for her kids. She also intends to raise her voice against polygamy so that women like her will not have to suffer. Shehnaz’s change of mind was maybe a catharsis due to her near-death experience, and she is now willing to fight against the doctrines of her faith.
Radhika and Aditi have been a couple for a while. While Aditi comes from a progressive family, Radhika’s parents have ostracized her for being gay. Since they cannot get married in India, they conduct a commitment ceremony. This subplot is about the right to same-sex marriage, an ongoing battle at the Supreme Court of India, and how it might change the lives of many people. Aditi makes a peace offering to Radhika’s parents, knowing they are against the couple, and requests that they attend their ceremony. Radhika’s mother appears to be sympathetic, but she hesitates. It sheds light on how a father figure wants to be in control of the household. A patriarchal mindset that controls women in the house and feels content about it. Just like Radhika had the strength to walk out on her parents, her mother gathered all the courage to stand up to her husband and attend the ceremony she was invited to. In both stories, it was middle-aged women who finally stood up to the years of toxicity from men and fought against them. The narrative of strong women was a bit overstretched; the impact of these tales is not powerful. But the lack of emotion cannot erase the intent with which these stories were told.
Made in Heaven Episode 6 ends with Karan not picking up the phone when his mother is on her deathbed. He was not by her side when she passed, and this is the pain he would have to live with. The two never shared a healthy relationship, and his mother’s passing is an indication that not every relationship will provide closure or can be fixed. A perfect relationship between a parent and their children does not exist.
