While fans have been enjoying the new season of Made in Heaven, many have been calling out various issues with the show. Author Yashica Dutt expressed how the makers of the show based Radhika Apte’s character (in episode five) on her life without her permission and failed to credit her. Celebrity designer Tarun Tahiliani also took to social media to accuse the show’s makers of incorporating his clothing into the series, and attributing the designs to a fictional label represented by a fictional designer named Akshay Jaiswal in episode two. Now, in an interview, Zoya Akhtar addressed the criticism around how a different actor could have been cast instead of Zayn Marie Khan in the first episode, because she wasn't appropriately dark-skinned for the role. In an interview with Mid-Day, Zoya Akhtar said that their decision to cast Zayn Marie was 'deliberate'. She pressed upon the fact that 'colour' is not the only aspect that they focused on during casting, and they also need to weigh other areas. "Be it age, whether a person can act, their chemistry with the co-actor, there are many things, many boxes. casting is based on many things," she said. The director added that they tested 'many, many people', and Zayn Marie fit the part best. Zoya added she couldn't cast someone with a 'much darker skin' just to prove a point. Co-director Alankrita Shrivastava echoed her thoughts. She shared that having lived in Delhi, the character may not be 'that dark', but people can be harsh to those they consider dark-skinned. Zoya reluctantly pitched in to add that a lot of people who auditioned for the part had lightened their skin. "The young people. they are like that," Zoya added. Zayn Marie played a bride-to-be who was insecure about her skin colour. She was seen trying various means to lighten her skin to look 'pretty' for her wedding. While her parents pushed her to get procedures done, her fiance took a stand against it and made her comfortable about herself. A section of the audience was outraged at why an appropriately complexioned actor wasn't cast in the role. Talking about the second season, Alankrita Shrivastava spoke to indianexpress.com about how the love they'd received from fans in season one became a responsibility, more than pressure. “The love from them (fans) was very palpable, as people were asking us about the second season. Yes, it was pressure but more than that it was a lot of encouragement. When we were writing and shooting the first season, it was like a shot in the dark. We didn’t know how people would react. But the love we got empowered and propelled us to dig deeper and explore more in season 2. Love was also a responsibility and a feeling of reassurance as well. The new season is more nuanced, layered, and grander. Apart from making it more spectacular, we also wanted it to be deeper, and more poignant. There’s more pain and sadness, at the same time, there’s more joy,” she shared. The filmmaker added that they also wanted to give audiences more than they were expecting. “So not just guest characters, we have also added two more running characters, so that you get the core of season one yet there’s something fresh and interesting.” About balancing the grandeur and emotional moments of the show, Alankrita said that the endeavour this time was to look within.
