Indian Matchmaking boss Smriti Mundhra has addressed the backlash surrounding the show following its recent Emmy nomination.
Released on Netflix in July 2020, the reality series sees Mumbai-based consultant Sima Taparia work with clients in both the United States and India as they navigate the arranged marriage process in today's world.
Since its premiere, many have criticised its handling of colourism and classism, as well as its lack of Christian, Dalit and Muslim inclusion. Others suggested that it also endorsed harmful gender stereotypes and normalised caste-based discrimination.
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Despite the controversy, however, the streaming service renewed the title for a second season earlier this month and more recently, the show was given a nod in the Outstanding Unstructured Reality Show Program category ahead of next month's Emmys.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Mundhra explained that she was "completely surprised" by the recognition, and that she feels less "vindicated" by it than she does hopeful it'll spark further discussion around the topics the docuseries sets out to explore.
"I can't claim to know exactly why we were nominated and what forces were at play to get us that nomination," she told the publication. "But I would like to think that the conversation the show brought up, and the way it crept into the zeitgeist, was a part of it. That conversation is really important and welcomed."
Mundhra went on to acknowledge that while the show got its fair share of criticism, "almost no one said it's inaccurate", and that she's proud of how it shed on light on "a very narrow slice" of society.
"You can't make one show that's going to represent 1.3 billion people across the globe," she added. "The other thing that can't really be denied about the show is that it brought people who were not having that conversation into that conversation. You know, when mothers and daughters and grandparents and siblings are all sitting around the table and talking about things like colourism and classism and sexism and patriarchy. That's a win for me."
Indian Matchmaking is streaming now on Netflix.
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