Indian Matchmaking

Indian Matchmaking is a 2020 Indian documentary television series produced by Smriti Mundhra.[1][2]

    Indian Matchmaking
    GenreDocumentary television series
    Created bySmriti Mundhra
    Directed bySmriti Mundhra
    Presented bySima Taparia
    Country of origin
    • India
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    Original language(s)
    • English
    • Hindi
    No. of seasons1
    No. of episodes8
    Production
    Executive producer(s)Smriti Mundhra, Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman, J.C. Begley, Smriti Mundhra
    Running time26-42 minutes
    DistributorNetflix
    Release
    Original networkNetflix
    Original releaseJuly 16, 2020 (2020-07-16)
    External links
    Netflix

    Cast

    Main cast
    • Sima Taparia, a marriage consultant from Mumbai who uses preferences from the people, their parents, and her years of matchmaking experience.[3][4] She previously appeared on Mundhra's previous work, A Suitable Girl.[5][6][7][8]
    • Aparna Shewakramani, a 34-year old attorney and general counsel from Houston.[9][10][11]
    • Pradhyuman Maloo (sometimes referred as Pradhyumn), a 30-year old jeweler born and raised in Mumbai.[12][13][14]
    • Nadia Christina Jagessar, a 33-year old event planner from New Jersey who runs her own company, Euphoria Events, and works as a marketer for Givaudan.[9][15]
    • Vyasar Ganesan, a 30-year old teacher, college counselor, and writer from Austin.
    • Akshay Jakhete, a 25-year old businessman, who is a self-described introvert from Mumbai.[16][17][18]
    • Ankita Bansal, a 30-year old businesswoman in India who has her own business in garment e-commerce.

    Supporting cast

    Release

    Indian Matchmaking was released on July 16, 2020, on Netflix.

    Episodes
    No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
    1"Slim, Trim and Educated"TBATBAJuly 16, 2020 (2020-07-16)
    Sima meets three unlucky-in-love clients: a stubborn Houston lawyer, a picky Mumbai bachelor and a misunderstood Morris Plains, N.J., event planner.
    2"Just Find Me Someone!"TBATBAJuly 16, 2020 (2020-07-16)
    Nadia's and Aparna’s dates have mixed results. Friends and family get honest with Pradhyuman. Sima consults a face reader for clarity on her clients.
    3"I’m Trying My Best!"TBATBAJuly 16, 2020 (2020-07-16)
    A setback with Vinay temporarily discourages Nadia. Sima offers two more prospects to Aparna. Feeling the pressure, Pradhyuman finally goes on a date.
    4"I Want to See You Again"TBATBAJuly 16, 2020 (2020-07-16)
    Nadia has a promising date. Pradhyuman sees a life coach. Sima sends Aparna to an astrologer and seeks a cultural match for guidance counselor Vyasar.
    5"Take the Elephant out of the Room"TBATBAJuly 16, 2020 (2020-07-16)
    A date with a model uplifts Pradhyuman. As Aparna’s luck seems to turn, Vyasar hits a snag. Akshay’s mother insists that he marry within the year.
    6"It’s High Time"TBATBAJuly 16, 2020 (2020-07-16)
    Vyasar and Rashi instantly bond. As Akshay rejects over 70 matches, Preeti gives him an ultimatum. Progressive Ankita looks for an equal partnership.
    7"Marriages Are Breaking like Biscuits"TBATBAJuly 16, 2020 (2020-07-16)
    Sima faces a challenge with single mother Rupam. A discovery about her match bothers Ankita. Vyasar frets over revealing his father’s past to Rashi.
    8"Adjustment and Compromise"TBATBAJuly 16, 2020 (2020-07-16)
    Akshay makes a decision while a new path emerges for Rupam. Ankita has an empowering realization. As her clients move on, Sima’s work never stops.

    Production

    Development

    Series director Smriti Mundhra pitched the idea of the show to a TV producer in 2009/2010, but the show was rejected for "essentially not being white enough."[21] She pitched the show to Netflix by showing Taparia, who "were super excited about it."[22]

    Casting

    Mundhra named the casting the biggest hurdle of the show, going through a client list of 500 families and calling to see if they were willing to be on camera. Mundhra also noted that the series initially started with about a dozen singles but with some that "fell off" during production.[6]

    Critical reception

    The show received mixed reviews between critics and social media users.[23][24][25] Inkoo Kang of The Hollywood Reporter called the show "insightful, humorous and heartwarming," praising how it showcases the preoccupation with height and caste, as well as Taparia's matchmaking tactics.[2] Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly gave the show a B+, stating that the show as presented in a "glossy, cosmopolitan drama, without a hint of "look at these crazy foreigners and their kooky customs!" condescension."[26] Joel Keller of Decider called people to stream it, saying that it "brings thousands of years of tradition into the mix, and there’s a much better chance that the matches that are made at the end of the season will last."[27] Archi Sengupta of Techquila rated the show 4 stars out of 5, calling it "sweet and entertaining."[28]

    Reinforcing religion and caste segregation

    Though the show is called Indian Matchmaking, it portrays no couples who identify as Muslim, Christian, or Dalit— communities that represent close to 40 percent of India’s 1 billion–plus population.[29][30] The show has also been criticised for normalizing caste based discrimination such as when matchmaker Taparia declares "In India, we have to see the caste, we have to see the height..." which Yashica Dutt of The Atlantic describes as "lump[ing] an entire social system, which assigns people to a fixed place in a hierarchy from birth, together with anodyne physical preferences."[31] Per Dutt, in the show, caste preference is coded into harmless phrases such as “similar backgrounds,” “shared communities,” and “respectable families,” and "the show does exactly what many upper-caste Indian families tend to do when discussing this fraught subject: It makes caste invisible." [32]

    In addition to showing "classist" and "casteist" stereotypes, the show was criticized for whitewashing the idea of arranged marriages.[33][34][35] Kennith Rosario of The Hindu labeled the show as "The big fat desi stereotype," saying that the characters "believe in some of the most atavistic ideale of marriage, and the show, in its glossy demeanour, endorses it."[36][37] Sushri Sahu of Mashable gave the show a 2/5 on the Mash Meter, criticizing how the show is "problematic and cheesy in equal parts."[38] In response to the criticisms, Smriti Mundhra stated that she hoped that "it will spark a lot of conversations that all of us need to be having in the South Asian community with our families — that it’ll be a jumping-off point for reflections about the things that we prioritize, and the things that we internalize.”[39][40] Suchin Mehrotra of Film Companion concludes his review by indicting the Netflix original as "unsatisfying" and all in all, "a missed opportunity".[41]

    The Los Angeles Times followed up with the couples appearing on the show and reported that they are not together anymore.[42]

    Also see

    References
    1. "Prepare to fall in love with Indian Matchmaking: Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
    2. Kang, Inkoo (July 10, 2020). "'Indian Matchmaking': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
    3. Mehrotra, Kriti (July 17, 2020). "What Is the Cost of Hiring Sima Taparia?". TheCinemaholic.
    4. Hill, Kennedy (July 5, 2020). "Indian Matchmaking: Everything we Know About Matchmaker Sima Taparia". Screen Rant.
    5. Freedman, Adrianna (July 13, 2020). "Here's What We Know About Sima Taparia, the Matchmaker on Netflix's Indian Matchmaking". Men's Health.
    6. Villarreal, Yvonne (July 17, 2020). "Inside Netflix's eye-opening look at arranged marriage, your next reality TV obsession". The Los Angeles Times.
    7. Edwards, Eve (July 16, 2020). "Who is Sima Taparia? Husband, career and Indian Matchmaking explored". Reality Titbit.
    8. Raga, Pippa (July 17, 2020). "Families Around the World Seek out the Services of Indian Matchmaker Sima Taparia". Distractify.
    9. Rodriguez, Bianca (July 16, 2020). "Netflix's 'Indian Matchmaking' Is Your New Favorite Dating Show". Marie Claire.
    10. Karra, Sushma (July 15, 2020). "'Indian Matchmaking': 'Negative' Aparna doesn't like comedy, will she be able to find her perfect match?". Meaww.
    11. Mehrotra, Kriti (July 16, 2020). "Are Aparna and Jay From Indian Matchmaking Still Together?". TheCinemaholic.
    12. "Pradhyuman Maloo". Heightzone. July 18, 2020.
    13. Mehrotra, Kriti (July 16, 2020). "Are Pradhyuman and Rushali From Indian Matchmaking Still Together?". TheCinemaholic.
    14. Knight, Lewis (July 16, 2020). "Netflix's Indian Matchmaking hunk rejects 150 marriage offers in 18 months". Daily Mirror.
    15. Edwards, Eve (July 17, 2020). "Meet Nadia Jagessar: We found the Indian Matchmaking star on Instagram!". Reality Titbit.
    16. Karra, Sushma (July 16, 2020). "'Indian Matchmaking': Preeti heaves a sigh of relief as son Akshay gets engaged at last to Radhika". Meaww.
    17. Cacich, Allison (July 16, 2020). "Akshay on 'Indian Matchmaking' Basically Wants to Marry His Mother". Distractify.
    18. Karra, Sushma (July 16, 2020). "'Indian Matchmaking': Akshay's silence before mom Preeti makes fans ask him to speak: 'You're a grown-a** man'". Meaww.
    19. Karra, Sushma (July 15, 2020). "'Indian Matchmaking': 'Negative' Aparna doesn't like comedy, will she be able to find her perfect match?". Meaww.
    20. Mehrotra, Kriti (July 16, 2020). "Are Aparna and Jay From Indian Matchmaking Still Together?". TheCinemaholic.
    21. Houghton, Rianne (June 17, 2020). "Indian Matchmaking creator says show was rejected 10 years ago for not being white enough". Digital Spy.
    22. Gupta, Prachi (June 16, 2020). "Director Smriti Mundhra On New Dating Show and the Business of Indian Matchmaking". Jezebel.
    23. "Netflix's Indian Matchmaking Twitter Review: Some netizens love it while others deem it 'wrong' on many levels". Pinkvilla. July 17, 2020.
    24. Andrew, Stephen (June 17, 2020). "Netflix Series 'Indian Matchmaking' Sparks Mixed Reaction From Viewers". PopCulture.
    25. "Ugly truth or promoting colourism': Netflix's Indian Matchmaking gets mixed reviews". The Indian Express. July 18, 2020.
    26. Baldwin, Kristen (July 15, 2020). "Prepare to fall in love with Indian Matchmaking: Review". Entertainment Weekly.
    27. Keller, Joel (July 16, 2020). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Indian Matchmaking' On Netflix, Where Mumbai's Leading Matchmaker Matches Singles In India And The U.S." Decider.
    28. Sengupta, Archi (July 16, 2020). "Netflix's Indian Matchmaking Review: Sweet and Entertaining". Techquila.
    29. Dutt, Yashica (August 1, 2020). "Indian Matchmaking Exposes the Easy Acceptance of Caste". The Atlantic.
    30. Gupta, Shubhra (July 18, 2020). "Indian Matchmaking review: Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match". The Indian Express.
    31. Dutt, Yashica (August 1, 2020). "Indian Matchmaking Exposes the Easy Acceptance of Caste". The Atlantic.
    32. Dutt, Yashica (August 1, 2020). "Indian Matchmaking Exposes the Easy Acceptance of Caste". The Atlantic.
    33. Gupta, Shubhra (July 18, 2020). "Indian Matchmaking review: Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match". The Indian Express.
    34. Harrison, Ellie (June 17, 2020). "Netflix's Indian Matchmaking condemned for being a 'cesspool of casteism, colourism, sexism and classism'". The Independent.
    35. "'I am mortified': Twitter opens fire on 'Indian Matchmaking' - Netflix's reality show on arranged marriage". The Free Press Journal. July 18, 2020.
    36. Rosario, Kennith (July 17, 2020). "'Indian Matchmaking' Review: The big fat desi wedding stereotype". The Hindu.
    37. Padwal, Saylee (July 17, 2020). "What Critics Are Saying About Indian Matchmaking". Screen Rant.
    38. Sahu, Sushri. "'Indian Matchmaking' Review: If 'Love Is Blind' Had A Brown, Cheesy And Problematic Cousin". Mashable.
    39. Padwal, Saylee (July 18, 2020). "Indian Matchmaking's Creator Welcomes Conversations About Colorism". Screen Rant.
    40. Menon, Radhika (July 16, 2020). "'Indian Matchmaking' Creator Smriti Mundhra Puts A Spotlight On The Marriage Industrial Complex of the South Asian Diaspora". Decider.
    41. Mehrotra, Suchin (July 17, 2020). "Netflix's Indian Matchmaking Is Neither Frivolous Fun Nor Particularly Meaningful". Film Companion.
    42. July 18, Ashley Lee Staff Writer; Am, 20209:31 (2020-07-18). "Netflix's 'Indian Matchmaking' hints at happily ever after. Did the couples last?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-07-29.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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