Made In Heaven 2 makers have been in the news ever since its release after a Dalit author, Yashica Dutt accused them of using her work without her permission or giving credit.
Author/journalist Yashica Dutt, on Wednesday, took to Instagram and penned a note after filmmaker Anurag Kashyap came in support of the Made In Heaven 2 makers and called the author an ‘opportunist’.
Made In Heaven 2 makers have been in the news ever since its release after a Dalit author, Yashica Dutt accused them of using her work without her permission or giving credit. After Anurag’s comment, she took to Instagram and penned a lengthy note. She wrote, “Update: 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’. Was it also misleading when Alankrita Shrivastava, who is a writer and director of the show and co-signed that condescending statement, requested a meeting with me in New York on July 15, 2022 that lasted five hours? Where she asked me everything about my life but refused to reveal anything about her intentions.”
She 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!”
In a recent conversation with Bollywood Hungama, Anurag Kashyap opened up on being ‘scared’ when people he cares about get attacked and said, “I get scared when people I care about and they get attacked. I get very affected by many things. I have seen the entire journey of say, for example, [Neeraj] Ghaywan, and how much time he took to speak up, find the courage, and find a voice to start speaking out. And then saw him get canceled in a day on social media. I get very affected by that.”
The filmmaker also questioned Yashica Dutt’s motives and said, “Is this really that big of an issue?” Kashyap asked. “It’s a very debatable issue. Anybody can debate. If it’s really that big an issue then why are you attacking that other person, who before you said that I use this word? Then you’re looking for validation, then you’re not really concerned about the issue. Because then you can’t be two-sided. You’re also attacking this guy, and you’re attacking the guy who before you said something in a blog. So you are just looking for validation. For me, it looks like an opportunist. Nothing more than that.”
