A Millennial’s Reflections & Review on MIH Season 2 and the purpose of art:
Why I write this review:
Just like Reema Kagti, I write this review for myself. As someone who has a fond love for classics, (anything that transcends time), I feel MIH S2 to be a classic for the writing/storytelling, the acting and the direction.
While watching this with my wife, MIH in S2:
- It raised some questions I haven’t thought about (eg: How did domestic abuse get so entrenched in our society?)
- It gave me some answers that were quite life affirming (eg: our parents like us and our friends are fallible and don’t have to be put on a pedestal) and
- Helped me look at life from the perspective of people very different from me (elitists, the desperate for money, the celebrities, gay, lesbian, trans, and several other folks)
I want this blog review to record all the emotional provocations, cognitive rethinking and the new perspectives this series has given me. I write this to look back later at how this classic made me feel and how it changed me as a person and to serve as a reference point to see how my view of this work of art changes with time.
What’s the purpose of art?
One of my idols, Alain de Botton has this wonderful video on the purpose of art which outlines 5 key objectives of art (which resonates with me quite well). Below is how MIH2 ticks all these boxes for me:
- Art keeps us hopeful – the wonderfully shot Buddhist wedding sequence, the carnatic theme of made in heaven, (both in E5), the celebrity destination wedding locales and those wonderful wedding hall and outdoor sets in E7 – all of these and several other scenes in MIH2 are an emblem for hope and prettiness, constantly reminding us to hope and not despair, and are in many ways a clarion call to look for the beauty amidst us already. By depicting how different and similar we all are the entire season reminds us that there is hope regardless of how the endings turn out to be.
- Art makes us less lonely – Is there a better way to depict addiction and helplessness than through the character of Karan? To appreciate Karan’s arc, one either needs to be an addict (or know an addict well), or should have gone through emotional blackmail from his parents, or have internalized the shame and guilt of being different and not being the majority. It shows how pain and loneliness are part of the human condition. And similarly how otherwise sensible men give in to impulsivities and lose their life. I love the way the makers chose to focus on the people of MIH2 as equally as the weddings.
- Art rebalances us – We always look for art to fill the gaps in our day to day lives, i.e art serves a counterbalancing function. An anxious and restless employee would look for calm and serene music during the weekend, while someone in a boring job will always look out for adventurous and thrilling movies.
- For someone who grew up in a lower middle class home, I have always felt out of touch with the elites and their thought processes. Apart from showing what these people do and how most humans behave when they have more money than they need, in an interesting way, the series shows the depth of their pockets and the shallowness of their characters, their opulent homes and impoverished egos, their abnormal behaviors and absolutely commonplace emotions.
- Art helps us to appreciate stuff: Very often its so easy to forget what’s good with our own lives. While watching these stories one understands how quickly and easily life can go off track because of reasons far beyond our control (societal ills like caste and domestic abuse, parental conditioning and our trauma related addictions). Just knowing that I don’t have to face these battles makes me more grateful and responsible. And to not stop there and to do my bit in making the world a better place for those struggling more than me.
- Apart from this, it makes one appreciate the beauty and emotion in our weddings; They say before choosing a partner go on a challenging hike with them; Similarly to understand the psyche of the Indian family, one just has to watch their weddings.
- This season helped me understand how life is for the LGBTQ community and was a window to their world. It helped me look at life from their perspective. How does one get to know about their trials and tribulations without series like these?
- Art is propaganda for what really matters: What really matters is
- To love yourself first and to listen to our heart (before blindly heeding to the demands of family and society)
- To be a good enough parent (like Bulbul)
- To know that money always softens the blow
- To know what you rightfully deserve (like Tara) – both I and my wife are big fans of you – both on and offscreen (in case this review gets to you SD, please know you are loved a lot and please recommend 3 books you think every Indian millennial should read)
- To come to terms with your trauma (like Karan)
- To truly question your privilege, and finally
- To know that the easiest way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach
In Summary:
Is there a better propaganda than the concluding quote of this season? Its definitely worth quoting it in full here (it’s such a great reminder that one can easily forget):
I promise to be a friend to myself in good times and the bad
I promise to comfort myself in sickness and in health
I promise to celebrate my success and learn from my failures
I promise to uphold my dreams and always follow my inner moral compass
I promise to be kinder to myself for as long as I live
P.S – I don’t mean there were no shortcomings or things I didn’t like about some parts of the series. Taken together, it stands tall and above the crowd!
So here is a big thank you the entire cast and crew of MIH S2, for challenging us cognitively and engaging (and entertaining) us emotionally!
P.P.S – I just have one request to the writers (in case you are still brainstorming ideas for the next season) – It would be great to see marriages involving other minorities (neurodivergents, for example)
