Zoya Akhtar responds to criticism over portrayal of Muslim characters in her projects : Bollywood News

Zoya Akhtar, the creator of the popular web series Made In Heaven, has responded to criticism over the portrayal of Muslim characters in her shows and films. A user on Instagram recently questioned Akhtar about the portrayal of Muslim characters in her work, specifically pointing to the character of Shehnaz, played by Dia Mirza, in the second season of Made In Heaven.

Zoya Akhtar responds to criticism over portrayal of Muslim characters in her projects

For the unversed, in the sixth episode, titled Warrior Princess, Shehnaz is a Muslim woman who attempts to kill herself after her husband takes a second wife. The user argued that the portrayal of Muslim characters in Zoya’s projects are often “oppressive.”

Zoya responded to the criticism by listing several other Muslim characters that she has portrayed in her work. These include Zaffar Khan and Tanveer in Luck By Chance, Imran and Laila in Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara, Farah Ali in Dil Dhadakne Do, and Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in Gully Boy.

Besides this, Made In Heaven 2 has sparked controversy for other reasons as well. Recently, author Yashica Dutt expressed disappointment over an alleged lack of acknowledgement for her contributions in an episode. However, the makers issued a statement and denied appropriating the author’s work. Meanwhile, designer Tarun Tahiliani has also accused Made In Heaven 2 creators of allegedly using his designs without credits.

Also Read: Makers of Made In Heaven 2 DENY Appropriating Yashica Dutt’s work; issue official statement