Indian Matchmaking (2020) s01e07 Episode Script

1
[woman] What's the secret
to a long-lasting marriage?
I can tell you what I think.
How about that? Can I
-Do you wanna Do you wanna say?
-Go ahead.
-I
-That's the secret.
[both laugh]
[playful music playing]
[woman 2] We just met once.
We walked,
and I just liked his sense of humor.
He made me feel comfortable,
and that was it.
We both took a huge risk
'cause we knew nothing about each other.
We're opposites. 
We have nothing in common by the way.
There is zero in common with us.
-We complement each other.
-Yes.
Not complement,
but we see the good in each other.
Actually, I thought 
he was completely different.
I married someone different 
than I really thought he was.
But now, looking back,
I'm grateful I married him 
and not the person I wanted to marry,
'cause he was He's actually perfect.
Not too many people probably know, 
but my wife is a hypnotherapist.
[laughs]
So ever since
she became a hypnotherapist,
I don't know what's going on.
I do, willingly, a lot of things.
And I don't know
why I do these things, but
You know, this is a cliché,
but, "Happy wife, happy life."
[laughs]
[hip-hop music playing]
Well, I need some stuff,
because I don't know
where you keep your stuff,
so just give me.
Okay. Just one second.
Let me finish washing my hands.
[man] Okay.
I need a little jeera.
No, no, no! You [stammers]
I'm cooking it.
-Okay.
-You're not cooking it.
So, don't bother me.
I can do cooking myself.
I'll just stand here.
[speaks Punjabi]
If I need you, I'll call you.
No, no, it's okay. I'll just stand here.
-You sure?
-Yeah.
[Rupam]
My Indian background is Punjabi Sikh.
I came here when I was three years old,
and when we first came to this country,
my parents insisted 
that we only speak Punjabi in the house.
So, if my dad asked me a question,
and I replied in English,
he would not talk to me. He'd say,
"You have to speak to me in Punjabi."
-Give me oil.
-The oil's in there.
No, I need more oil.
That's a lot of oil.
That's okay. I know.
[Rupam] I am a 36-year-old woman.
I was married once before,
and my previous husband was Sikh.
Unfortunately,
the relationship did not work out.
I think if you talk to anyone
who's divorced,
whether they're Indian or not,
they will say
that they very much feel like a failure.
And there's a period 
where you really do feel like,
you know, "I couldn't figure out 
how to make this work."
[doorbell rings]
-Hi!
-[Sima] Hi, Rupam!
-How are you? Nice to meet you.
-Fine. Sima, from Mumbai.
Thank you for coming.
There it's written, "Leave your shoes
and worries at the doorstep."
-Yes, it does say that.
-Now I have come,
-so there are no worries.
-Okay, thank you so much.
-No worries.
-Thank you so much.
-Tell me something about you.
-About me?
Since how many years
have you been in the States?
Sure. So, I was born in Punjab, um,
and I was there for three years.
Um, and then, I came here in 1985
-as a small, basically, baby.
-Baby.
We would go to Gurdwara,
the Sikh temple, every Sunday.
And then in the summers,
we would go to Sikh camp.
And so, I think that I had
a lot of cultural influences growing up.
And my husband
Um, we had met at Sikh camp.
So, it was what?
Just an arranged marriage, or a
It was actually a love marriage.
And how many years
did the marriage last?
So, it lasted, officially, eight years.
-Yeah.
-It was a good time.
It was a good time. There was a period
What happened then?
Eight years is a good time.
I mean, I think
the breaking point was infidelity.
And that was the deal breaker.
That's when I realized
it wasn't workable.
In India, nowadays,
marriages are breaking like biscuits.
-Yeah.
-[both laugh]
They're so delicate.
They're breaking like biscuits.
And I think at the time of divorce,
I really wasn't aware
of the difficulty I would have 
trying to find someone else.
I was really naive in that regard.
You know, I didn't realize the stigma
of being a single mother.
[playing scales]
[Rupam]
I have a daughter from the marriage.
Raising a child by myself has taught me
a lot about how to navigate stress,
and it took a period of growth,
because when I got married the first time,
I was very young,
and I wasn't very sure of myself.
And I needed those three years
after my divorce to kind of mature
and understand more about myself
and what I need in a relationship
to feel ready to be married again.
[finishes playing scales]
That's good.
That's good. Good job.
Divorce is not common
in the Sikh community.
You know, marriage has a really, I think,
sacred purpose.
The husband and wife
are really working together
to attain enlightenment.
And so, there is a stigma to divorce.
I want to be a role model for her
and have a stable family.
And what I really want for myself
is someone
who can be committed to myself
and my daughter.
In India, it's very difficult
for a divorcée to get married,
and with a child.
[Sima] Your bedroom?
[Rupam] Actually,
this is my daughter's bedroom.
[Sima] Because the other person has
to accept her with a kid.
As you can see,
her favorite color is purple.
[Sima] Wow.
If anybody comes to me with a child,
I mostly don't take that case,
because it's a very tough job
for me to match them.
Now, what type of partner you're
What are your preferences like?
Some of those personal qualities,
someone who is caring, affectionate
-trustworthy. Absolutely trustworthy.
-[Sima] Has to be trustworthy.
-[Rupam] Just a good person.
-[Sima] Yeah.
Should be a good person, number one.
Yeah, and if they're a professional,
that would be ideal.
If they arealso same religion.
-Yeah.
-You're a Sikh?
-I'm a Sikh, yeah.
-Okay.
If some other religion,
you'll not like it to go further?
If I suggest some other religion?
I think Hindu would be okay
if they were Punjabi.
[Sima] Yeah.
You see, Rupam,
because a divorcée with a kid
Yeah.
So, don't mind.
-Yeah.
-It's a fact of life I'm telling you.
-Right.
-You will get less options.
-Mm-hmm.
-Somewhere or the other,
you have to compromise,
and you have to adjust it.
Your options are very less.
Yeah.
I've been told my options are limited,
but I 100% believe
if you want to find a partner,
that you have to make the effort.
Um, any advice for me on
how I should present myself
when I meet a family?
As you're behaving.
Fantastic You're a fantastic lady
with such a nice nature,
with a good smile.
-Don't be quiet, talk to them
-Uh-huh.
and everything will fall in place,
and everything will go forward, I'm sure.
-Okay.
-Yeah.
I have a lot of love to give,
and I want to give that to someone.
[electronic music playing]
[Mansha] What's been up?
The usual.
-[laughs]
-You know what's going on.
Preeti Auntie has been
A lot of work and stuff 
has been going on.
-Yeah.
-And then, marriage is obviously there.
"Marriage is obviously there"?
So, it's like a side thing.
Not a side thing.
I mean, it's going with it.
And what about Preeti Auntie?
Did she make you pick a girl yet?
[Akshay] The pressure from the family,
it has taken a toll on me.
But out of the three girls
which we zeroed in on,
I am very interested in the Udaipur girl.
She was perfect
in almost, you know, every parameter.
So, we decided to fix a meeting.
What's gonna happen now?
How do we take this forward?
So, this chick from Udaipur, the one that
you were telling me about the other day,
give me a description, 
because I have never seen her.
-She's tall.
-She's tall?
Oh, yeah, she's tall.
She's, like, damn tall.
-Isn't that a good thing?
-Yeah, it's a good thing.
Haven't you, like
A photo?
-Yeah, that's what I was saying.
-Yes! No, show me.
Yeah, there she is.
Yes!
Not bad, dude.
-What's she studying?
-She's doing CA.
[Mansha] CA? Nice! So, she's smart.
I don't know. She has to give the exam.
[laughs]
So, depending on if she passes
or fails the exam,
then you'll be
You'll determine if she's smart or not.
No, on paper, it'll show that she's smart.
-It's real. When you meet, you never know.
-Ah, okay.
[Akshay] I'm looking more
at the intellectual connection, 
the mental connection,
than the rest of the things,
because I feel that's very important.
How do you feel
about, like, going to Udaipur?
I feel good, yeah. [laughs]
-You feel good?
-Yeah, why not?
And the rest of the fam seems to like her,
but do you like her?
-My mom likes her, and Dad likes her
-But doyou like her?
Her family seems nice.
The girl seems nice. Education is
I mean, she's super smart.
Uh, everything else looks good.
But now, it all depends, how we talk,
you know, how our connection is together 
that way.
[upbeat pop music playing]
-[woman 1] Yeah, this is good.
-[woman 2] Looking sharp, crisp.
Crisp. So good.
[man]
Can you keep your hands down a bit?
[Ankita] Yeah, this is nice.
-[woman 3] Yeah.
-[Ankita] Yeah.
[woman 4] You have the shot.
[Ankita] After I met with Geeta,
I really wasn't expecting her to be able 
to find me a match that I would like.
You're waiting to meet the guy 
to go into the flow.
What I am trying to tell you is
be the flow right now.
Yeah, I'm like water. I flow.
-You'll flow? Wonderful.
-Don't worry.
[Ankita] But when I met Kshitij
I think in every relationship,
there's always a lesson to learn.
-It is.
-You learn a lot.
It is. Even with friends.
[Ankita] It was a very good first date.
Pleasant guy. Great smile.
Similar interests.
He tick-marked every box on my list.
I'm gonna take it slow,
because I always go really, really fast
into everything in life.
There is just no more rush,
because it's happening in time,
and I can feel it happening.
[woman 3] Change, change, change, change.
[phone dings]
[Ankita] What the hell?
My sister and I were at work.
My best friend texted us.
She just googled his name, Kshitij,
because that's what she always does.
She googled his name, and the third
or the fourth link that came up
uh, showed her that he's a divorcé.
You think I should speak to Geeta?
-Definitely.
-Yeah?
But her not telling us
that Kshitij is a divorcé is
I mean, if she'd said that beforehand,
things would have been
-Different.
-Yeah.
[Mallika] The point is not
whether what he is or what he's not,
because everybody has a past 
at the end of the day.
But keeping you in the loop
and keeping you informed
about the background
is more important than anything.
Geeta should have Should have even
conveyed that to Sima,
because if Sima is the main matchmaker,
and Geeta is Sima's colleague
And I also feel maybe Kshitij should have
dropped that in somehow.
I mean, it was the first meeting,
and he didn't know
who he was meeting,
and he doesn't know me as a person.
He doesn't know
I won't tell anyone about it.
-Yeah.
-He was just safeguarding himself.
[Ankita] I'm not mad at Simaji.
She herself didn't know about this.
Problem is when you're not informed
about a person's very big past,
and you're meeting him,
not just for a drink, for the heck of it.
You're actually meeting that person
to explore a future together.
[in Hindi] What's going on?
How come they haven't come yet?
You need to be very polite.
Even if you don't like the girl
anybody is welcome, no?
They're coming with their daughter
to our house.
[in Hindi] When they arrive
you also ask questions.
I'm always the one asking.
No. I will too.
[Preeti]
Then Akshay will probably be silent.
[chuckles]
[in Hindi] You guys will do
most of the talking, right?
Yes, we will.
We are going to talk, but then later on,
you say, "No, I didn't like her."
[laughs] That's different.
No, but that's a process too.
He's not going to say yes
to her the first time either.
Even if he likes her.
He's going to take his time.
It's okay, no?
They've arrived.
[ethereal music playing]
[all greeting in Hindi]
[in English] Have a seat.
Please have a seat.
My son, Akshay.
Radhika.
[Radhika's father in Hindi]
We are happy to come and meet you.
[Akshay in English]
She looks exactly like her pictures,
even better, actually, in real person.
And her eyes are so captivating,
so it becomes
In a room full of people,
it's difficult to take my eyes off her.
[Radhika's father]
Akshay, what are you doing these days?
[Akshay] My family business with Dad
[in Hindi] for now, automobile,
car finance, and construction also.
-How long have you been doing this?
-It's been two years.
More than two years now.
More than Two years, two months.
[Preeti] Yes.
You have any questions for us, 
you can ask.
[Prakash] Your mother-in-law to be,
she's very strict
[all laugh]
-[Prakash] and I am very free.
-[all laugh]
Akshay doesn't really feel that.
-[Prakash] What?
-I allow Akshay to do a lot.
[all laugh]
[Prakash]
That's because he's a mama's boy.
He's your favorite child.
-[Preeti] No, it's not like that.
-[Prakash] He'd be forgiven always.
In fact, he takes care of me.
He's still a baby.
[all laugh]
[Preeti in English] What are you exactly
searching for in your life partner?
[Radhika]
The one whom I can share my feelings with.
Oh.
[laughs]
Still searching.
[laughs]
[Akshay in English] I think
the first meeting looked good,
seemed nice.
It was a really loving and warm welcome.
Now, I mean,
I think I need to get a little bit
Get to know her more.
That's when I'll come to know
what I'm supposed to do.
[in Hindi]
You matched the horoscopes correctly?
Yes, the compatibility was 100%.
So I really liked that more.
Yes, it was five out of five.
So, how should we move forward?
[Prakash] It depends on the boy and girl.
We are just the bystanders.
Just you say "yes,"
and we are a "yes" too.
[pop music playing]
[Vyasar] Firm, hard, and soft
are the different cheese grades.
-[man 1] Grab that.
-[man 2] You wanna try?
-[Vyasar] Get the nut butter.
-[man 2] Crackers.
[Vyasar] That's good!
So, just picture it.
It's me, my mother, my grandparents,
my aunt and uncle at a table
with this Indian girl 
who I've never met before,
and her parents, or her brother,
having conversation.
Part of the whole matchmaking thing is
these are people
I never would have had a chance to meet
if not for this matchmaking thing.
I especially really liked
the second girl I met, Rashi.
Just stuffing my face. No big deal.
It's a fine face.
-Thank you. I appreciate it.
-[both laugh]
All my dates with Rashi were fun, great.
We don't play by no rules.
[laughs]
I spent those next few days
really happy and giddy almost.
I felt super excited that I met her.
All in all, she just had a good heart,
and a sweet personality,
and just everything seemed really strong.
I was a little bit nervous.
If we're moving forward,
I like to address the big stuff.
I like to [laughs]
I'm not afraid of talking about
the important things right off the bat.
I want to be able
to let people in like that.
[all laughing]
[Vyasar] But when it comes to my father
My father went to prison, uh,
when I was very young.
There was a period of time where
I didn't see Dad for almost a decade.
Um
He's a complicated guy.
Getting into him is a whole other story.
Me and my I haven't spoken 
to my father in years. [laughs]
-[man 1] Yeah.
-We don't have a good relationship.
My dad is a very argumentative person.
So just a lot of fighting all the time.
Not a lot of harmony.
By the time I was born, my mom
was already thinking about leaving him.
They do a separation for a while.
They were formally divorced,
I think, when I was seven years old.
Did either of them re-marry?
My mom had a few boyfriends
over the years. My dad did remarry twice.
-[woman] Mm-hmm.
-Um
But the third one didn't work out 
super well.
He just stayed angry.
He wasn't getting along with her.
They were finalizing divorce proceedings.
He, uh
Around the time they were separating,
divorcing, or things were going bad,
my dad and his third wife had
a very heated conversation on the phone
in which he straight up said,
"I'm gonna kill you."
So, she called the cops,
and he went to jail for the death threat.
This wasn't his first run-in with police.
When he was living with my mom,
they called the cops
on each other all the time.
And so his third wife had him arrested.
While he was in prison,
he was still angry and incensed,
so he tried to contact a hit man
from inside prison.
The person he tried to contact
for a hit man went straight to the police.
They set up a sting operation,
made it a whole thing, got him.
They made a huge court case out of it,
brought in witnesses
and a bunch of people to testify.
And he got ten years
for conspiracy to commit murder.
-Oh, wow.
-Yeah.
Right?
[all laugh]
Man, I'm sorry. I did not know
[Vyasar] I thought I told you this before.
I could've sworn I told Fuck.
-[all laugh]
-I've never heard this.
I didn't share this with Sima because
I don't think it's necessarily relevant
to how I present myself
at first to people.
I've barely told the story 
about my father to many people at all.
It's so easy for you
to not deal with these issues.
And my concern is that, 
as these things come up,
it's gonna get harder to get married.
How the hell am I supposed
to bring this up with Indian people?
-Geez.
-Yeah.
When I meet someone's family
for the first time,
obviously,
it's not a first-time conversation.
I'm terrified to even bring it up.
Indian families freak out
over the smallest things,
-you know?
-Yeah.
Your traditional Indian family, they want
a happy family that's well-to-do.
They want, you know, 
a family that's respectable.
[laughs] Single parent household,
mother works
Mother is retired,
used to work in public education.
Only child works in public education.
On top of that, divorced parents,
father went to prison.
Like, ooh! Respectability has kind of
gone out the window.
Have you tried telling somebody?
It hasn't come up.
I don't I can't remember
if it's come up or not honestly. Um
-Well, it must not have then.
-No.
[all laugh]
[Vyasar] This story has to be shared
with a person
I'm thinking of sharing my life with.
And I'm open to that.
You have to know the whole picture.
You have to go in 
as well-informed as you can.
[laughing] But, like
I don't know. [sighs]
[slow music playing]
With Kshitij, nothing worked out,
because Geeta hid the fact from us
that he was a divorcé.
Uh, not that my parents have anything
against a divorcé.
Their only concern was
that they weren't informed about it
beforehand, and they had to know about it
through the Internet,
through a third person.
People are getting divorced
So many in India.
So now,
everybody has got a fear in the mind.
But Geeta's intention was
first, the couple, let them meet,
and if something was positive enough,
she could have told them the next day.
You can't play with someone's feelings
the way she did.
I rest my case right here.
So, let's forget it now.
The thing is gone now.
Done. 
Right now, my head
and my heart are in a battle.
I don't know
about this matchmaking process anymore.
What are you doing? Busy in business?
Busy, very busy with work right now.
Extremely busy.
-You can't sit idle. You are busy always.
-Yeah.
-[in Hindi] Just like me.
-Yeah.
[Sima in English]
I see a lot of myself in Ankita.
She's independent. She does business.
She has knowledge.
I wanted to do everything I can
to help her.
So, one of, uh, my close friends,
she's a life coach. 
So, if you tell me,
then I'll fix up a meeting with her.
She will guide you about your thoughts
and whatever happened.
[in Hindi] How to move forward.
[in English]
She will help you and guide you.
If you're interested, let me know.
Then I can arrange a meeting with her.
Okay, sure. We can give it a shot.
Definitely.
[Ankita]
I guess I'm open to see how it goes.
Definitely, I'm gonna spend more time
trying to become more open
to the matchmaking process.
Bye. Thank you.
[Rupam] Please have a seat.
Thank you, Rupam.
[Rupam] I've been sort of on my own
for the last four years,
because both parents are far away.
I think it's important, um,
to have my dad be a part of this process.
I feel very excited.
And I hope she should get a better match
this time.
I told you 
I'll give you one biodata at a time.
Mm-hmm.
So, I worked on a very good biodata,
which is going to match you.
And he's a Punjabi boy, also.
He stays in Los Angeles.
He has hotels.
And he's fond of family,
friends, and homely environment.
Is he more quiet,
or is he a more outgoing personality?
No, he's outgoing and very nice at heart.
[Rupam] I mean, I think
the personality is number one.
But I liked his picture.
Um, he looked handsome.
So it's his father's business he's in?
[Sima] Yeah, he's in the same business 
with his father.
They have hotels in San Francisco
and LA.
He was never employed? 
He never worked with anybody?
No. And very nice,
highly influential family.
-He's divorced?
-[Sima] Hmm.
He has a boy.
-[Rupam] Okay.
-Yeah.
How long he was married 
with the first wife before?
Some three, four years, I think so.
-Three, four years?
-[Sima] Yeah.
[Amarjit] Okay.
Why he divorced his first wife?
Due to some personal I mean,
the wavelength didn't match and all that.
She was professional or what?
What happened? Why
That is his past life. That is gone.
Why should we dig?
People don't wanna discuss
their past bad experiences.
I just want, for your purpose, to know
and for our purpose. We don't have to
I think you drop that ex-wife thing, saab.
[tense music plays]
Well, another question is,
his ex-wife was American or Indian?
She was American.
Ah-ha!
[laughs]
Now, she was American. 
So, it's okay. So what?
But same thing happened
with Rupam. She got divorced.
[Amarjit] No, Rupam married an Indian guy
from our same community.
The difference is that-
She married a Sikh boy.
[Rupam] Right.
-But the same story, the same
-Well, I will not take your reasoning.
-Rupam's ex comparing with this guy's ex.
-[Sima] No, not like this.
With whom you are married before,
that matters more than anything.
People who are Punjabi are very open
and very welcoming.
They have open hearts,
but he's being a pretty bad Punjabi.
We are not sure
we will pursue with this one.
-[Sima] With Sikand?
-Why do you say that?
Because you, Rupam, you better
Don't try to rush up.
I'm not rushing it. I'm asking
I'm asking you a question.
Rupam, you have made mistakes before.
-So, don't try to rush up.
-I'm not trying to rush.
Relax. Just take your time. Cool down.
I think my dad was very apprehensive
whether this is someone
The match is someone
who respects our culture.
But I don't know if he would be happy
with anyone,
because he's really fearful
of things not working out again.
I don't want you to commit 
another blunder now.
[Sima] We'll not blunder.
-Or a mistake.
-We need to find out.
[Rupam] Nobody's marrying him.
The only question is
if we want to consider
No, I just clarified one aspect,
which was a very big aspect.
-I will not recommend at all to you.
-Okay.
Not this one. Huh-uh-uh.
[Sima] Okay.
[Rupam] I knew that it would be hard
to find someone,
and right now, 
I'm trying to be patient and open,
but I don't want to be alone
and I think that
those fears really, um, are coming out.
-I'll suggest more matches in the future.
-[Rupam] Okay. That's a good idea.
Okay? So, I'll take a leave.
-Yeah. Thank you so much.
-[Sima] Thank you.
-Namaste.
-[Amarjit] Namaste.
[upbeat music playing]
[Varkha] Are you accepting
that one of the human conditions
is to love and be loved?
-Absolutely.
-Good.
And do you believe that today, 
you are willing to take the risk to trust?
[Ankita] Hmm.
Uh, yeah, I mean, a bunch of things
have happened in the past.
Okay. Have you had any setbacks 
which have led you to,
uh, be much more skeptical?
I mean, if I were to start talking
about it,
we'd be sitting here the next two,
three days. [laughs]
[Sima] Ankita is a modern,
independent woman
who's trying to figure out what she wants.
So, I am sending her to a life coach
because I want Ankita 
to better understand herself.
I've had massive insecurity issues.
People would come and tell me that,
"You'll never find anybody
'cause you have to lose some weight."
Uh, so, that played a very, very big part
in how I lost my confidence completely
in even trying to approach a man.
Oh. So, there were body image issues,
is it?
[Ankita] Oh, massive.
My anxiety was off the charts.
It was uncontrollable,
where I would just be lying in a room
and crying to my mom,
and she didn't know what to do.
I think it's so, sometimes,
superficial maybe,
that they're only defining us 
by the way we look.
Initially, I felt very, very hurt
that I was being judged on my appearance,
uh, but I became the person who said,
"If I have to lose weight to get married,
and a man can't accept me for who I am,
then I'd rather not be with that man."
Yeah, and the anxiety is not only
about not finding a partner.
That's one aspect.
But who that partner will be,
who are we going to settle with, 
the uncertainty.
Because again, culturally, in India,
the woman moves into
-Into the man's house.
-the man's house.
So, everything kind of re-starts,
and there is a little bit of unsettlement.
Mm-hmm. You are always told
that after marriage your life changes.
Your responsibilities become your family,
your kids.
-Right.
-And, uh,
that just meant giving up
on so much of my own life.
That's where, I think,
a little bit of anxiety may have come.
[Ankita] Talking to Varkha was great.
The way she put it across to me,
it seemed more like an opinion,
a suggestion
rather than an affirmative, definitive,
only-to-do thing.
Do you believe, Ankita,
you know yourself well enough?
I think I'm getting to it.
I do believe a lot of trouble comes
in relationships
when someone hasn't really sat
with himself and understood himself.
The more I know myself,
the easier it is for me to say,
"Yes, I think I can give
this gentleman a shot."
I have become very, very self-aware.
But in the journey of becoming self-aware,
I think I somewhere lost track
of putting a pin on all of my values.
So, definitely, I'm gonna spend more time
trying to define my values now,
because it's important.
[electronic music playing]
I just met Radhika for the first time, 
and the families met.
The family values are very, very similar.
So, that's good. That's a starting point.
But in the beginning, 
it's kind of awkward.
[laughs] I don't know what to talk.
[laughs awkwardly]
So
-Hi.
-Hi. [laughs]
-And what's up?
-Tell me something about you.
Hmm. I don't know.
You're putting me on the spot like this.
I don't know what to say.
-You say, "Like this, like that."
-Just say anything that comes to mind.
Like, uh
what do you expect
Like, what do you expect
from a life partner?
I'm looking for someone like
My life partner should be,
-you know, nature-wise, very good.
-Hmm.
So, am I the first guy you've met?
The first person
Have you done this before?
-You're not the first one actually.
-Achha.
Like, I've met, like, four, 
five people before.
-Okay.
-So, yeah.
And what about you?
I've met a lot, yeah.
I never asked you,
but what is, like, your future partner?
What do you think he should be like?
Like, I'm being
I'm being comfortable with him.
-Achha.
-And, like, there should be respect.
-Obviously.
-Yeah.
[Akshay] No specifics?
-[Radhika] No, no specifics.
-Achha.
So, um, where do you see,
you know, five years, ten years 
down the line, yourself?
I want to work. So, I just want to be,
like, a working woman.
Like, be independent, 
do something of my own.
-Okay.
-Be busy.
I don't want to be idle, 
sitting at home doing nothing.
Yeah.
[Akshay] I would want my future partner
to do the same things in the house
that my mom does,
because I'm not like that.
And if she's busy with her work, 
who's gonna take care of the kids and all?
So, you wanna ask something more?
I mean, at this point,
I can't really think
of anything more to talk about.
[Akshay] I kind of liked her.
She kind of liked me, too.
But at this point,
it's really, really soon to say.
[both laugh]
[slow tabla music playing]
-[Janardhan in Hindi] What is his name?
-[Sima] Akshay.
-[Janardhan] Akshay?
-[Sima] Yes.
He is a stubborn boy.
-I see.
-Stubborn and obstinate in nature.
He is destined to have
an arranged marriage.
I see.
[in English] I like to show my clients'
pictures to a face reader in India
so he can predict their destiny.
And if they have already been matched up,
he can also tell me
if the relationship will be a success.
[in Hindi] Have a look.
He has a very laid back attitude in life.
His name is Vyasar.
He keeps everyone smiling and happy.
He can make a crying person laugh as well.
[Sima] Absolutely.
He is also hard working
and believes in putting in the effort.
However, he does not belong
to a wealthy family.
-[Sima] You are correct.
-[Janardhan] He has had a tough childhood.
He has never felt any shame
even if he had to sweep the floor.
He has come up from dire times
and is destined
to have an arranged marriage.
[Sima] Yes.
And here is the girl.
-Her name is Rashi.
-Rashi.
We have introduced them to each other.
What do you think about them?
What does their future hold?
This is a mighty match.
The boy is very good, an auspicious match.
If they get along, this is a strong match.
If this match doesn't work,
then her future is bleak.
Go ahead. The match will prove itself.
They will be happy and in bliss.
This will surely work out.
[in English] He said they will be
a good match, Rashi and Vyasar.
[in Hindi] Goodbye. Hail Lord Balaji.
Hail Lord Balaji.
[in English] So, I am so happy,
and I was eagerly waiting to call Vyasar.
But I didn't know that Vyasar had
something important to share with me, too.
[Vyasar on phone]After he got arrested
for conspiracy to commit murder,
my father got ten years.
And once he got out of prison,
we didn't really have a good relationship
after that.
That's why I haven't spoken
to my father in a very long time.
Okay.
And that's basically it.
After listening to Vyasar's family history
about his father,
I was so surprised.
I really felt sad
that he had a very difficult childhood.
But I'm glad he told me that story.
I can tell that it was a big task for him.
You talked to Rashi about your father?
No, not in so many words. Um
Things with Rashi went really well,
and here I am
someone that she's just met. Uh
I'm ready to make this next step. 
But it's a lot.
Do you think it would be an issue?
Vyasar, you are so extrovert.
You're creative, you're good in cooking,
sense of humor, you make everybody laugh. 
You have so many qualities!
But at least we must be clear on this.
-I think this thing should be clear, yeah.
-Okay.
[Sima] What the father has done,
the son should not suffer for that.
But it's so important to be honest.
Can you tell her anything about this?
[laughs]I can I mean, I can try.
That's all. Depends on destiny, actually.
-[smacks lips]Yeah.
-You believe in that?
I mean I think so.
But don't worry. You're a very good person
with a golden heart.
Excellent, with a golden heart.
[both laugh]
[Sima] When I met Vyasar,
he was a lovely, lovely person.
And during my time,
Vyasar has become more open.
If the girl likes his heart, 
his jovial nature,
then the girl will not mind 
his family history.
But the most important thing
for Vyasar is being completely honest,
and he doesn't need to worry so much
about whether the things can work out.
[Vyasar]
I still have more to do. I know that.
This is the stuff
that takes time to work through,
that you have to take time
to feel comfortable or ready to share.
I'm not there yet.
But trust is the fundamental layer
on which all relationships are built.
Honesty and trust have to be
at the core of this.
I think if she reacts strongly to that, 
that's fair.
I think if it's a deal-breaker,
that's her right. That's how she feels.
I don't know how it'll work,
but it's something that has to come out.
I have to do it for me.
And working with Sima
is the first time in my life
I find myself
consciously going after that.
So, let's put all cards on the table.
[phone ringing]
-[Rashi on phone]Hello?
-Hi, Rashi. It's Vyasar.
Do you have a minute? I, uh
I kinda wanna talk to you about something.
[pop song playing]
Off to our friend's house ♪
Had to go, much to know ♪
Yeah, I know you go with the times ♪
What you like ♪
Thinking of your place now ♪
I waste away half the day ♪
Yeah, think I might look alive ♪
For what you like ♪
[song ends]