The 3 C’s of Netflix original “Indian Matchmaking”: Colorism, Classism, and Casteism
By Avani Saraswatula
Throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, scrolling through the seemingly endless choices of binge-worthy content on Netflix has proven to be a popular activity. One show that’s definitely caught the eye of viewers has been “Indian Matchmaking,” which was released in July.
The show features Sima Taparia, a marriage consultant based out of Mumbai, India. Taparia, or Sima Aunty as she is known on the show, runs her own matchmaking business called “Suitable Rishta,” where she accumulates intricate profiles or “biodatas” consisting of photographs, interests, and desires of the member. She then presents the member with proposals based on compatibility.
Early on in the show, Sima Aunty says, “In India, marriage is a very big industry. A very big, fat industry.”
Right off the bat, Sima Aunty brings to light the business-like nature of marriage in India. Unlike Western society, where the concept of marriage is largely based on finding the perfect match yourself, the majority of marriages in India are arranged — a BBC article from July reported that upwards of 90% of marriages are arranged. Sima Aunty approaches marriage from a very practical direction, finding a partner who is “suitable” for you.
When trying to find this compatibility throughout the first season of “Indian Matchmaking,” Sima Aunty and her clients more often than not always seem to bring up three issues: colorism, classism, and casteism. The prevalence of these topics throughout the entirety of the show has made it very polarizing to its viewers. On a surface level, the show makes a lighthearted joke of the dysfunction within Indian families and arranged marriages. But as we take a deeper look, “Indian Matchmaking” also glosses over these very prevalent issues that have plagued Indian society for centuries.
Colorism
Kicking off the first episode, Sima Aunty is looking for a girl for her client, Pradhyuman. She says, “When you meet personally, you will come to know what type of smartness is there, fair skin color or anything.”
Those three words, “fair skin color,” come back again and again throughout the remainder of the season.
Sima Aunty is very careful to tell her clients that the matches she has gathered all have lighter skin. While it can be easy to attribute this blatant colorism solely to Sima Aunty, having lighter skin is one of the most popular beauty standards in India. From the mass market success of “Fair and Lovely,” a skin bleaching cream, to representation in media being focused on eurocentric beauty standards, it is clear that having fair skin is what’s considered beautiful. The prevalence of colorism in the show also shines a light on how highly Sima Aunty and her clients value physical appearance in relationships. The title of the very first episode was “Slim, trim, and educated.” Even the order of the words show what traits Sima Aunty and her clients prioritize in a partner.
Classism and Casteism
Beyond physical appearance, social status also claims a very important stake in a successful traditional arranged marriage in India. On her website, Sima Aunty states that she herself comes from an “industrial and famous family,” and many of her clients throughout the show are from similar familial backgrounds. It is notable that in the show, caste is discussed casually, something that one would consider just as much as shared interests or compatibility.
In the first episode, Sima Aunty says, "In India, we have to see the caste, we have to see the height." At first, it is shocking to see something like caste lumped into seemingly mundane characteristics like height; however, in a way, this reflects the very normative nature with which caste permeates all aspects of Indian society.
According to BBC, the centuries-old caste system in India is divided into four main categories: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras, representing priests/teachers, warriors, traders, and Dalits, or “untouchables,” respectively. Caste virtually dictates every aspect of life, from opportunities available to a person, to, in this case, who you marry. For as long as the caste system has existed, it was frowned upon to marry outside one's own caste. Although the system isn’t enforced by law, many of its social constructs still persist today as a very big part of society.
LGBTQIA+ Representation
In addition to the colorism, classism, and casteism present throughout the show, another issue was the lack of LGBTQ+ representation. India’s relationship with members of the LGBTQ+ community has been turbulent to say the least. As seen in popular epics such as the Ramayana, and artwork in many famous temples, there is documentation and acceptance of openly LGBTQ+ people in ancient India. However, under British rule, discrimination heavily increased as homosexuality was outlawed under section 377 of the British colonial penal code.
In 2017, the Indian Supreme Court made a decision to protect an individual’s sexual orientation under the basis that a right to privacy is a fundamental right. However, nothing was done to directly overturn laws that criminalized same-sex relationships. In 2018, the Supreme Court overturned a colonial-era law that criminalized consensual homosexual activities.
Though progress has been made towards acceptance, these laws only explicitly address governmental discrimination against sexual orientation, not discrimination within the private sector. This means that anti-discrimination policies concerning housing or employment are not actively enforced. Additionally, according to a survey conducted by Pew Research, just 37% of people in India say that homosexuality should be accepted, and discrimination against gay and trans people remains prevalent in the country.
While it could be easy to just blame Sima Aunty or the producers of “Indian Matchmaking” for the lack of LGBTQ+ representation, discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals exists throughout Indian society and there is still much to improve upon. Featuring LGBTQ+ individuals on the show could be a step in the right direction to normalizing queer, non-binary, and trans relationships in Indian and Indian-American society.
Although it would be unrealistic to expect eight, 40-ish minute episodes to completely cover the nuances and issues present in marriage and Indian culture, the show could have confronted (instead of glossing over) the very blatant colorism, casteism, and lack of representation that is frequent in Indian media. The way that these issues were casually accepted, just like sharing similar interests or wanting someone to be taller than you, shows how normalized these ideas are within Indian culture. As this show has reached an audience beyond India, it would be beneficial to highlight these issues and have a deeper conversation about them, especially if there is going to be a second season. At the very least, we, as viewers should critically think about the media we’re consuming and not just accept that this is the way things are.
Avani Saraswatula is a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill, and is chair of Monsoon’s content editing team. In her free time, she loves to paint, bake, and skate.
