Netflix’s new reality dating docuseries, “Indian Matchmaking,” has been the talk of much controversy since it released last Friday. However, it’s not the arranged marriages that people find problematic, but rather the things on which traditional Indian culture has come to place value.
Sima Taparia, Professional Matchmaker, Host of “Indian Matchmaking”
The show, which released 8 episodes on July 16, follows Sima Taparia, a professional marriage consultant with 15 years of matchmaking experience as she makes her way through a multitude of affluent families that are searching for their lifelong partners. Her philosophy aims not only to pair couples that go well together but also their families. “Matches are made in heaven,” Taparia says, “And God has given me the job to make it successful on earth.”
The idea for the show itself was controversial because arranged marriages have been negatively connotated as a relic of the past. But Taparia acts more so as a human version of a dating app, with her seemingly endless stack of ‘biodata,’ profiles of potential candidates, than she does as an enforcer of “predestined” marriages.
Although that stereotype was denounced in the beginning, the show still managed to deliver controversial cultural content. Height, skin tone, money, and career choice were among the various superficial characteristics found in the show, all of which are infamously known to be given high value among Desi, traditional Indian, communities. Intertwined with the vanity, the show also depicts stereotypes of the extent Indian parents have control in the direction of their kids’ lives.
Aparna Shewakramani, 34, Attorney, bachelorette on “Indian Matchmaking”
Take Aparna Shewakramani for example. In the first episode, ‘Slim, Trim and Educated’, her mother says, “My children were very, very young when we came here. And the first thing I told them when we landed in New York was, ‘Please don’t ever let me down and don’t let me look bad in our society, in our community. I don’t ever want to see a B on a report card. I don’t want two degrees, I want three, nothing less than three degrees.'”
Akshay Jakhete, 25, bachelor on “Indian Matchmaking“
Akshay Jakhete is one of the other more controversial characters on the show. He also represents a familiar archetype in Indo-Pak culture: sheltered, treated like a king, and completely controlled by his mother. In the show, he recounts his days when he left home for the first time for college, saying he had to learn skills he never knew before, such as making his bed or doing the dishes.
“When I was in Boston for my undergrad, I had to do all kinds of things that I would never do over here. Like at home, I was not used to even making my bed. And then laundry, and then ironing, and eat[ing] food on time. I had to take care of myself all alone,” Jakhete said.
However, the show reflects positive aspects of the culture as well, like through the endearing and affable school teacher Vyasar Ganesan, as well as the independent and intelligent businesswomen Ankita Bansal and Nadia Jagessar.
Smriti Mundhra, the creator of the show, has been a part of the production of many notable works including “A Suitable Girl” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?.” At its core, “Indian Matchmaking” is about regular people looking for love, traversing through the too-often unpredictable world of dating. It is through this lens that Smriti was able to expose the prevalent social issues of Indian culture to the world stage, a gesture that has created widespread dialogue, and possibly a step closer to change.
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“Indian Matchmaking”: Netflix’s New Dating Show Exposes An Entire Culture
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Netflix’s new reality dating docuseries, “Indian Matchmaking,” has been the talk of much controversy since it released last Friday. However, it’s not the arranged marriages that people find problematic, but rather the things on which traditional Indian culture has come to place value.
Sima Taparia, Professional Matchmaker, Host of “Indian Matchmaking”
The show, which released 8 episodes on July 16, follows Sima Taparia, a professional marriage consultant with 15 years of matchmaking experience as she makes her way through a multitude of affluent families that are searching for their lifelong partners. Her philosophy aims not only to pair couples that go well together but also their families. “Matches are made in heaven,” Taparia says, “And God has given me the job to make it successful on earth.”
The idea for the show itself was controversial because arranged marriages have been negatively connotated as a relic of the past. But Taparia acts more so as a human version of a dating app, with her seemingly endless stack of ‘biodata,’ profiles of potential candidates, than she does as an enforcer of “predestined” marriages.
Although that stereotype was denounced in the beginning, the show still managed to deliver controversial cultural content. Height, skin tone, money, and career choice were among the various superficial characteristics found in the show, all of which are infamously known to be given high value among Desi, traditional Indian, communities. Intertwined with the vanity, the show also depicts stereotypes of the extent Indian parents have control in the direction of their kids’ lives.
Aparna Shewakramani, 34, Attorney, bachelorette on “Indian Matchmaking”
Take Aparna Shewakramani for example. In the first episode, ‘Slim, Trim and Educated’, her mother says, “My children were very, very young when we came here. And the first thing I told them when we landed in New York was, ‘Please don’t ever let me down and don’t let me look bad in our society, in our community. I don’t ever want to see a B on a report card. I don’t want two degrees, I want three, nothing less than three degrees.'”
Akshay Jakhete, 25, bachelor on “Indian Matchmaking“
Akshay Jakhete is one of the other more controversial characters on the show. He also represents a familiar archetype in Indo-Pak culture: sheltered, treated like a king, and completely controlled by his mother. In the show, he recounts his days when he left home for the first time for college, saying he had to learn skills he never knew before, such as making his bed or doing the dishes.
“When I was in Boston for my undergrad, I had to do all kinds of things that I would never do over here. Like at home, I was not used to even making my bed. And then laundry, and then ironing, and eat[ing] food on time. I had to take care of myself all alone,” Jakhete said.
However, the show reflects positive aspects of the culture as well, like through the endearing and affable school teacher Vyasar Ganesan, as well as the independent and intelligent businesswomen Ankita Bansal and Nadia Jagessar.
Smriti Mundhra, the creator of the show, has been a part of the production of many notable works including “A Suitable Girl” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?.” At its core, “Indian Matchmaking” is about regular people looking for love, traversing through the too-often unpredictable world of dating. It is through this lens that Smriti was able to expose the prevalent social issues of Indian culture to the world stage, a gesture that has created widespread dialogue, and possibly a step closer to change.