Tag: Radhika Apte

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Made In Heaven Season 2: A Gripping Critique On Social Issues

Despite a few editing lapses, the directors explore different topics and deliver a solid show, once again.

A worthy follow-up!
Made In Heaven Season 2 (Hindi)
  • Cast: Sobhita Dhulipala, Arjun Mathur, Vijay Raaz, Mona Singh, Shashank Arora, Mrunal Thakur, Pulkit Samrat, Radhika Apte, and Anurag Kashyap
  • Directors: Zoya Akhtar, Alankrita Srivastava, Neeraj Ghaywan, and Nitya Mehra
  • Producers: Excel Media & Entertainment and Tiger Baby
  • Music: Sagar Desai, Dub Sharma, Balkrishan Sharma, and Sherry Mathews
  • No. of episodes: 9
  • OTT platform: Amazon Prime Video

The first season of Made in Heaven created by Zoya Akhtar, Nitya Mehra, Reema Kagti, Prashant Nair, Alankrita Shrivastava, and Neeraj Ghaywan was a gripping take on the affluent society of South Delhi.

In the web series, the directors looked at the hypocrisies beneath all the glitter and glamour.

At the heart of Made in Heaven are the two wedding planners Tara Khanna (Sobhita Dhulipala) and Karan (Arjun Mathur). Tara was born into a typical middle-class family but her luck changes when she gets married into a rich South Delhi family.

Karan, on the other hand, is a gay who has unattached hookups.

Through each wedding, the directors explore different topics along with the upheavals that Tara and Karan face, both professionally and personally.

Synopsis

The second season of the web show, Made in Heaven Season 2, starts with Tara and Arjun trying to reconstruct their business which is facing financial issues.

As a result, they set up their office in an old dilapidated house with a new business partner Jauharji (Vijay Raaz) reprising his role from the first part.

In order to have tight control over the financés he brings in his wife Bulbal Jauhar (Mona Singh).

Apart from her, another new addition to the team is Meher (Trinetra Haldar).

Shashank Arora and Shivani Raghuvanshi continue their parts of Kabir and Jaspreet respectively.

Much like the first season, this time too, the creators push the envelope in exposing the double standards and hypocrisies that dwell in our society through different weddings.

For example, one of the episodes is about a successful author and Professor Pallavi Menke (Radhika Apte) who asserts her Dalit identity at every step. She insists on having a Dalit Buddhist wedding in addition to a traditional ceremony.

What is also similar is the various complexities playing out in the individual lives of Tara and Arjun.

The best part of Made in Heaven Season 2 is how the directors integrated the different social aspects of our society in an engaging manner.

Yes, there are times when the viewers feel the length of the episodes could have been trimmed. However, the impact doesn’t diminish.

Each episode ends with Shashank Arora’s social commentary. He raises uncomfortable yet important questions.

The Dalit episode definitely packs a bigger punch, thanks to Neeraj Ghaywan’s direction in addition to Radhika’s fiery performance.

Other episodes also make a strong impact.

A good example of this is the one centred on Kriti Malhotra and Gulshan Raina (Neelam Kothari and Samir Soni respectively).

This episode has also been directed by Neeraj Ghaywan. Kriti and Gulshan were lovers once upon a time in college. Now in their 50s, they are having an extra-martial affair behind the backs of their respective spouses.

The episode ends with Kriti taking a bold decision that doesn’t go down well with her children.

Effortless performances

Made in Heaven Season 2 also does a good job in the way it portrays a transgender character. There is certain sensitivity both in the writing and execution of the transgender person (Trinetra Haldar) who delivers a confident performance.

Special mention must also be made of Mona Singh. Her character Bulbal comes across as a tough woman in the office. But at the same time, there is also a vulnerability in the scenes with her rebellious teenage son.

Mona Singh does a fantastic job of portraying these shades.

One of my favourite characters apart from Radhika Apte is the one played by Mrunal Thakur. She plays a beauty queen struggling in an abusive relationship. The actress does a wonderful job, particularly in the emotional bits.

Sobhita and Arjun Mathur take off effortlessly from where they left in the first season.

In the second season, Sobhita as Tara has to literally restart her life after the separation from her husband Adil (Jim Sarbh).

Tara is someone who is both vulnerable and manipulative. The actress does a good job of bringing out these shades.

Arjun Mathur is in impressive form with his arresting performance.

Final Take

To sum it up, the title “Made in Heaven” actually feels like a paradox because of the way most of the marriages in this series end up. However, it’s a worthy follow-up to the first season.

(Views expressed here are personal.)

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Vikram Vedha: A Solid Remake Powered By A Terrific Hrithik Roshan

Remakes are always a tricky business, more so when you are remaking Tamil and Malayalam films. The reason being both these industries have a certain grammar of storytelling. Having said that the Tamil and Malayalam industries have also butchered acclaimed Hindi films like Special Chabbis and Andhadhun respectively, earlier this year Siddarth Sen did a wonderful job in remaking Nelson Dilipkumar’s Kolamaavu Kokila. The director retained the core but at the same time upgraded it as well by setting it in Bihar.

Gayatri Puskhar’s Vikram Vedha is considered to be a classic and rightly so. The director duo used the Vikram and Betal analogy to create a new kind of cop versus gangster film. In the Tamil film Madhavan had played Vikram and Vijay Sethupati was Vedha. Vikram is a cop who has a very clear boundary of what is right and wrong. But his life turns upside down after the entry of the dreaded gangster Vedha. Vedha makes Vikram question his beliefs each time that they meet. The questions of Vedha form the crux of this multi layered story. The engaging narration coupled with Madhavan and Vijay Sethupati’s performances made this thriller an engrossing watch.

Much like the recent remakes here too you have original directors helming the project. The setting of the Hindi one changes from Chennai to Lucknow. The plot is largely the same expect that you have a fresh set of actors, Saif Ali Khan as Vikram and Hrithik as Vedha respectively. The character of Vedha in this one is also a bit massier compared to the original. Vikram also comes with his own set of quirks.

Much like the original the biggest strength of this too lies in the equation that the lead characters share. Both Hrithik and Saif get equal opportunities to shine. Yes Hrithik has the meatier part but Saif also stands his own as the cop who is forced to question his own morals. He particularly shines in the confrontation scenes with Hrithik. There is also some sly humor which the makers have added and the actor delivers it to perfection.

However there is no denying that Hrithik Roshan is the star of the show. As earlier said his role is massier compared to Vijay Sethupati and this works in the favor of the film.  As Vedha, Hrithik lets his eyes do most of the talking. His facial features and body language are a delight to watch. Hrithik is effortlessly menacing, ruthless and yet extremely emotional in parts. The Greek God looks have sometimes come in the way of people acknowledging the actor’s insane talent but with this role Hrithik firmly reestablishes his position as an actor/star who is not afraid to push the bar.  Much like the remake of Amitabh Bachchan’s Agneepath here too Hrithik makes Vedha his own. It is a treat to watch the actor embrace this rugged avatar.

The setting of Lucknow also gives the film a different touch. The director duo of Gayatri and Pushkar have done a good job in making sure that the localities of Lucknow are also an integral part of the story.  

The action scenes have also been choreographed well. My favorite bit is the pre-interval block where the police are searching for Vedha and you have Vedha escaping to a container yard. The confrontation that follows is a treat to watch.

Vedha’s emotional bond with his younger brother Shatak (Rohit Saraf) is also neatly done. It is not as effective as the Tamil original but still it does tuck at your heartstrings. Rohit Saraf is a great choice for the role. He brings in that required innocence. Special mention to also Sharab Hashmi, he stands out in the supporting cast as the ambitious sidekick. Radhika Apte hasn’t got a lot to do as Vikram’s wife with a different set of ideology, but their scenes are still good to watch

Coming to the flaws Yogita Bihani comes across as a weak link. Her love story with Shatak comes across a speed breaker unlike the original where Varalakshmi SaratKumar aced the same part. You also wish the makers had dwelled a bit more into the workings of the UP Police.

Final word- Vikram Vedha is a largely satisfactory reworking that does justice to the original. Hrithik Roshan is the garnishing that adds more flavor and makes it an appetizing meal.