Beyond Rom-Com: Finding the Unexpected in MISMATCHED
With characters that explore complexities of LGBTQ and Disability issues, Netflix’s new coming-of-age web-series takes baby steps into bringing a diversity of representation into the mainstream.
The domain of coming-of-age movies and shows has always been tricky waters for Indian cinematic space to navigate. Stories in this genre predominantly swing either between clichés (like Dharma Production’s Student of the Year franchise) or largely unappreciated low-budget gems (like the 2010 film Udaan). For a wider audience, however, hitting that sweet spot of relatability without predictability has been a difficult task to achieve.
With its newest web series Mismatched, streaming giant Netflix takes a dive in these challenging waters, giving the Indian young adult crowd something light-hearted to binge on amidst the pandemic. Loosely based on Sandhya Menon’s book When Dimple Met Rishi (2017), Mismatched has been marketed as a typical cis-gendered heterosexual romantic-comedy set out in world of tech and coding. The series narrates the love story of Dimple (Prajakta Koli), an ambitious outspoken middle-class girl who has been set up for arranged marriage to Rishi (Rohit Saraf), a sweet, soft spoken, and wealthy boy.
It may look like a traditional rom-com on the surface, but in an unusual case of sides overpowering the main course, this coming-of-age web series offers its viewers unexpected gifts. Mismatched is able to bring into the mainstream social issues previously cast aside by Indian Cinema.
The show also explores the dilemma of dating for an LGBTQ person especially in the context of a small town set up. The fear of being outed usually looms over the head of people from the community, dictating their every move, making dating or even liking someone a risky game.
Over the last decade, parallel to the LGBTQ+ community’s struggle for the recognition of their rights in India, Indian filmmakers with works like Aligarh have attempted to bring strong non-binary characters to the screen. However, these attempts continue to remain in isolation; generally, there is dearth of indigenous cinema which captures the experience of being an LGBTQ person in the country, a dearth that pushes viewers to look westwards to find stimulating and relevant content. With Mismatched, a hope for change can be seen as the show explores the highly neglected space of the adolescent years of a homosexual female character and her ally friendships.
At the show’s beginning, the character of Namrata (Devyani Shorey) is introduced in the one-dimensional supporting role of ‘Rishi’s Best Friend’, as he goes on to find his ‘future wife.’ The later episodes, however, reveal Namrata’s sexuality, exploring her story and her efforts to hide her true self from her typically-orthodox Indian family—a family that simply wants to find her a husband.
The friendship between Namrata and Rishi plays a prominent role throughout the show; it represents a familiar ally-friendship that many LGBTQ persons have today. Often misrepresented in mainstream culture, these relationships go beyond shopping sprees and sleepovers, and are crucial to the safety and support of people from the community. Straight Allies help provide a safety net for LGBT persons to rely on in times of emotional and familial distress, as well as become a safe space for people to confide their emotions, especially when their sexuality is not made public.
Meeta Narayan, an LGBTQ activist and mental health professional from New Delhi, pointed out in conversation the need to have an outlet for an LGBTQ person to channel their truth without the fear of being judged. She added that this was especially pertinent in smaller cities in India, where mind-sets are rigid, and pride parades and circles don’t exist, the outlets for LGBTQ persons come in the form of ally friends.
In Mismatched, Rishi is that space for Namrata. He keeps her secrets and pushes her to explore her feelings for another female character, especially when she’s scared of these feelings not being reciprocated. The show also explores the dilemma of dating for an LGBTQ person especially in the context of a small town set up. The fear of being outed usually looms over the head of people from the community, dictating their every move, making dating or even liking someone a risky game.
The fate of Namrata in Mismatched is something that closely actualises this fear. It brings forward a story that is familiar to us all, the story of heartbreak and breaking of trust by a friend. As a result, she is outed rather cruelly, and worries for her family hearing the news in the gossip mill. With the exploration of Namrata’s romantic and personal tribulations, as well as the fragility of ally friendships, Mismatched is able to introduce something truly different, yet evidently real, to the typical rom-com set up.
In addition, Mismatched has also brought to the mainstream the cause of Accessibility for Persons with Disability in India. In 2015, the BJP led NDA Union government launched the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan, or Accessible India Campaign, with aims of making at least 50% of all public infrastructure disabled-friendly. Five years later that task is yet to be achieved. Even in cases where infrastructure like ramps, toilets and technological implements like TV’s for the visually impaired exist, they are often not maintained. The situation is much dire in case of private infrastructure like restaurants, hotels, private colleges, libraries, etc. where even basics like disabled bathrooms and wheelchair ramps are missing.
Anmol (Taaruk Raina), a wheelchair-bound character from Mismatched is frequently shown struggling and calling out lavish restaurants and other high-end places for their insensitive absence of basic infrastructure for the disabled. However, in a pleasant departure from the typical portrayal of a disabled character, Anmol isn’t shown in the light of self-pity. He’s vocal about issues, works out to maintain a healthy physique, and is a famous gamer and Youtuber with a massive following. His character has been given the liberty to even be obnoxious at times with his unapologetic foul mouth, competitive spirit and the undertones of a deeply sexist personality. And while there are numerous instances where Anmol is indeed problematic, the character is quite refreshing for his depth and complexity. He highlights a departure from the usual one-dimensional token physically challenged trope we see in movies, one that the audience created only to garner the audience’s pity.
Since its release last month, several prominent media outlets have called out Mismatched for using predictable-tropes and being clique-centric in its character lines. Social issues like the ones mentioned here are the sidebars of the show, and thus, some of Mismatched’s criticism is valid. It could even be extended to tokenism, where shows and movies often bring out small roles for ‘check-list’ characters to win brownie points for being politically correct and ‘woke’. Despite this, it is noteworthy that Mismatched move a step forward from said tokenism, giving the characters of Namrata and Anmol space to breathe and develop, and even makes them central to Season 1’s cliff-hanger ending.
Despite its flaws, Mismatched is a homegrown show that tries to step away from the agreed mainstream, even if it does so with baby steps. Within a week of its release, India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting roped in Over The Top platforms like Netflix, hinting at an impending sense of stringent censorship. Perhaps a show like Mismatched, under the flowery curtains of being a ‘simple’ romantic-comedy, can create a space for more social issues to be brought to the forefront and start a much-needed conversation in wider parts of the country. With a confirmed second season two on its way, that is the best that the show’s viewers could hope for.
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Atulya Pathak is a Masters student of Development at Azim Premji University. Formerly she was a full-time teacher in a low-income school. She studied History at a prestigious All-Girls College in the University of Delhi. Her areas of interest are Mediocre Science Fiction shows, Indian Politics, Mental Health & the environment. You can find her on Instagram at: @sherbet_lemon9.
