Thread by @sanjenasathian, Like many of y’all, I’ve been unpacking @netflix’s popular yet controversial docu-series [...]

Like many of y’all, I’ve been unpacking @netflix’s popular yet controversial docu-series “Indian Matchmaking” with friends for weeks. I wrote about the show, and what it means for desis, in @nytimes / @nytopinion. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/05/opinion/indian-matchmaking-netflix.html?referringSource=articleShare

Opinion | We Need to Talk About ‘Indian Matchmaking’

The Netflix show is controversial. But it tells awkward truths about my community.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/05/opinion/indian-matchmaking-netflix.html?referringSource=articleShare

We’re joining an important conversation here — one of the richer ones I’ve seen about Desi media in a long time. Mine is one of many takes. Here’s @YashicaDutt in @TheAtlantic on the invisibility of caste on the show: https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/08/netflix-indian-matchmaking-and-the-shadow-of-caste/614863/

Netflix’s 'Indian Matchmaking' and the Shadow of Caste

The popular reality series is a tacit defense of arranged marriages and the role they play in upholding a system of discrimination.

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/08/netflix-indian-matchmaking-and-the-shadow-of-caste/614863/

Here’s @mallika_rao in @vulture on the “unvarnished” depictions “Indian Matchmaking” offers, especially re colorism: https://www.vulture.com/2020/07/indian-matchmaking-dating-reality-tv-colorism.html

Indian Matchmaking Is Just Telling It Like It Is

When the game itself is dirty, why yell at a mirror pointed at it, reflecting the moves for all to see?

https://www.vulture.com/2020/07/indian-matchmaking-dating-reality-tv-colorism.html

For @NPRGoatsandSoda, @sushmitza covers the backlash to “Indian Matchmaking”: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/07/26/895008997/netflixs-indian-matchmaking-is-the-talk-of-india-and-not-in-a-good-way?referringSource=articleShare

Netflix's 'Indian Matchmaking' Is The Talk Of India — And Not In A Good Way

The TV series, which debuted on the streaming service this month, has sparked debates about colorism, classism and casteism.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/07/26/895008997/netflixs-indian-matchmaking-is-the-talk-of-india-and-not-in-a-good-way?referringSource=articleShare

For @CNN, @mitrakalita argues that “the art of nuance and subtlety has been lost on critics” and that “we are the problem.” https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/24/entertainment/indian-matchmaking-holding-up-mirror-trnd/index.html

All you haters of 'Indian Matchmaking' only prove its point

The show is not redeeming the cavalier manner in which families perpetuate inequality and outdated thinking. It's exposing it.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/24/entertainment/indian-matchmaking-holding-up-mirror-trnd/index.html

For @bethejuggernaut, @ishaninath discusses the stories and perspectives not seen on “Indian Matchmaking”: https://www.thejuggernaut.com/indian-matchmaking

The Multiple Dealbreakers of Netflix’s “Indian Matchmaking”

Netflix’s latest attempt to corner an Indian market is entertaining but overlooks crucial issues in the arranged marriage industry.

https://www.thejuggernaut.com/indian-matchmaking

Also, this didn't make it into my piece, but I keep thinking about @ThisIsTanuja's fresh, surprising depiction of a parental setup and of desi-desi romance in BORN CONFUSED -- a book I read ~5 times as a teen. https://lithub.com/on-the-first-south-asian-ya-novel-born-confused-15-years-later/

On the First South Asian YA Novel: Born Confused 15 Years Later

Fifteen years ago, when I was 26 years old, a YA novel helped me see my life anew. That’s why we read, of course. But this was different; Born Confused was not a book that spoke to my soul as much …

https://lithub.com/on-the-first-south-asian-ya-novel-born-confused-15-years-later/

And for those who want an actual discussion of the Indo-Guyanese history that comes up in Nadia's arc on "Indian Matchmaking," I recommend @gbahadur's COOLIE WOMAN: highly readable, seriously important to anyone interested in the S Asian diaspora https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo13393932.html

Coolie Woman

In 1903, a young woman sailed from India to Guiana as a “coolie”—the British name for indentured laborers who replaced the newly emancipated slaves on sugar plantations all around the world. Pregnant...

https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo13393932.html

Latest Threads Unrolled: