Mismatched

Mismatched is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age romantic drama web series on Netflix, based on Sandhya Menon's 2017 novel When Dimple Met Rishi. It was adapted by Gazal Dhaliwal and directed by Akarsh Khurana and Nipun Dharmadhikhari. It is produced by Ronnie Screwvala's RSVP Movies. Starring Prajakta Koli, Rohit Saraf, Rannvijay Singha and Vidya Malavade in prominent roles, the series is about Rishi, a die-hard romantic who believes in traditional ways of dating, who falls for Dimple, a gamer, and eventually wants to marry her.

Dhaliwal adapted the series in early 2018, with the script being tweaked for the series. While the novel is set in the United States, the story was adapted to take place in Jaipur. The series features cinematography handled by Avinash Arun and Milind Jog, with editing done by Sanyukta Kaza and Namrata Rao. Mismatched features a soundtrack album composed by Jasleen Royal, Samar Grewal, Anurag Saikia, Prateek Kuhad, Shashwat Singh, Taaruk Raina, Deepa Unnikrishnan, Abhijay Negi and Hiphop Bhaiya, with Saikia also composing background score for the series.

The series premiered on 20 November 2020, through the streaming platform Netflix. It received a positive response from audiences, with critics praising the chemistry of Saraf and Koli, the performances of the cast, music and background score. However, the writing and the direction was criticized. Originally the first season consists of six episodes, the series renewed for a second season in November 2020, and was announced officially by Netflix on 3 March 2021, on their new slate of original contents.

Plot
Mismatched is a rom-com based on Sandhya Menon’s best selling book ‘When Dimple Met Rishi’. Dimple Ahuja (Prajakta Koli) wants to be a tech wizard and Rishi Singh Shekhawat (Rohit Saraf) is a young guy who believes in traditional way of dating: meeting in person, being drunk on love, and has come to Aravalli Institute to find his ‘Future Wife’. Dimple is driven and Rishi’s bewitched, and wants to tie the knot with her.

Cast

 * Prajakta Koli as Dimple Ahuja
 * Rohit Saraf as Rishi Singh Shekhawat
 * Rannvijay Singha as Professor Siddharth Sinha (Sid)
 * Vidya Malavade as Zeenat Karim
 * Suhasini Mulay as Rishi's Grandmother
 * Nidhi Singh as Warden
 * Trishna Singh as Shahana
 * Vihaan Samat as Harsh Agarwal
 * Vaibhav Palhade as Samar
 * Taaruk Raina as Anmol Malhotra
 * Devyani Shorey as Namrata Bidasaria
 * Muskkaan Jaferi as Celina Matthews
 * Kritika Bharadwaj as Simran Malhotra
 * Abhinav Sharma as Krish Katyal
 * Rishikesh Shukre as rishi
 * Shaunak Ramesh as Ramaswamy
 * Yash Buddhdev as Danish Tamang

Development
In late 2018, Netflix India and Ronnie Screwvala of RSVP Movies approached screenwriter Gazal Dhaliwal to adapt Sandhya Menon’s 2017 novel When Dimple Met Rishi for Indian audiences. The original novel is about two Indo-American teenagers, Dimple and Rishi (the titular characters), whose parents are trying to arrange their marriage. Published by Hachette Book Group, it opened to good response from readers, and became a best selling novel, according to a report from New York Times. Netflix picked Akarsh Khurana (of Karwaan fame) and Nipun Avinash Dharmadhikari to direct the series.

Dhaliwal had already finished writing the script before Khurana was roped in to helm the series. Khurana approved of the new script as it was a love-story between two real people with real issues. He added, "Even though this was essentially a young adult romance, there was maturity in the way it was depicted. Dhaliwal, who counts Kuch Kuch Hota Hai as one of her guilty pleasures, was similarly drawn in by the simplicity of the high-school romance at the heart of the book, a contrast to the large-scale candyfloss high school universe depicted in Hindi films."

Casting
In a Firstpost interview, Dhaliawal stated about the casting and characters, syncing to the adaptation and the liberties while recalibrating the story to the Indian context. She added, "The story is about a setup which has gone horribly wrong. To make that happen, it was important to change the family dynamics. Akarsh and I felt very strongly about the fact that it wouldn’t have been believable for Indian viewers if Rishi’s parents were behind him to start looking out for girls when he’s all of 18 so that he can get married in two years. So I introduced a grandmother in the mix (her character is not featured in the book), effectively using the older generation’s adherence to tradition as justification for the arranged marriage setup. I also played around with Rishi’s dynamics with his parents as well: In the book, Rishi’s parents, who belong to a typical Gujarati family, are still together and Rishi is built to be more obedient than hopeless romantic."

Characters
Prajakta Koli and Rohit Saraf were cast in the series, marking the debut for the former. In an interview, Saraf stated, "The biggest selling point for him about the show was the 'romance' it has. The love, ambition, navigating through the college years of one’s life and a kind of acceptance toward all that I going on in the life was something I found very relatable." Koli described her character Dimple, "She’s very driven to achieve her goal; if she doesn’t, her parents will get her married! Isn’t that relatable to so many girls —and boys — across the country? I have so many cousins in my family who are dealing with this dilemma. That’s why Dimple is so tough to crack; she doesn’t let her guard down at all." Rannvijay Singha stated his character as being "cool and snarky on the outside but a softie inside, Professor Sid (himself) believes in tough love when it comes to his students". Speaking about his role, he further added that his character wants to push students out of their comfort zones so that they can each reach their highest potential.

Filming
While the book is set in the United States, the story was adapted to take place in Jaipur. About the setting, Khurana stated in an interview to Poulomi Das of Firstpost, that "When I initially read Gazal’s take on the book, what I loved was that she altered the context for the love story at the centre of the proceedings and introduced a host of new characters who had very distinct characteristics which made the world building so much more interesting."

Shooting of the series took place on November 2019, with some portions being filmed Old Royal School of Jodhpur, and majority of the scenes were filmed in Jaipur. The shooting took place for 38-39 days, with the cast members shooting for 12 hours daily. The post-production was completed in May 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in India.

Soundtrack
The soundtrack album for Mismatched was composed by an assortment of nine artists, which includes Jasleen Royal, Samar Grewal, Anurag Saikia, Prateek Kuhad, Shashwat Singh, Taaruk Raina, Deepa Unnikrishnan, Abhijay Negi and Hiphop Bhaiya. Five of them also wrote lyrics for the songs, along with Nikhita Gandhi, Raj Shekhar, Shwetang Shankar, Ritviz. Anurag Saikia also scored the background music for the series. The soundtrack album, which released on 11 November 2020, features seven tracks upon the initial release, with an eighth song "Sun Toh" unveiled on 20 November as a bonus track.

Reviewing the soundtrack, Devarsi Ghosh of Scroll.in stated, "The Mismatched soundtrack is a couple of soft ballads along with some wacky cross-genre stuff, that doesn't make you disappoint." Umesh Punwani of Koimoi stated, "The album consists of fresh, peppy songs that accompany each unique character in this series through their individual journeys. From high energy to heartwarming and even melancholic, this album is perfect for a young, experimental, music-loving audience."

Release
On 16 July 2020, Netflix announced the release of seventeen Indian originals, with Mismatched being one of them, scheduled for a release in late 2020. On 3 November 2020, the makers unveiled the first look posters through social media platforms and the official trailer was released on 6 November 2020. Ahead of its release, the makers conducted a virtual college fest event, through YouTube, in order to promote the series. The series premiered on Netflix on 20 November 2020.

Reception
Suchin Mehrotra of Film Companion wrote, "Mismatched suggests it’s a light, frothy, feel-good teen love story. A promise on which the series adaptation only partly delivers." Poulomi Das of Firstpost stated, "There is a certain convenience to the storytelling... that makes teenage adolescence look like a statement, and not a stage of life." Antara Kashyap of News18 gave two-and-a-half out of five to the series and stated, "Mismatched is a show which should be watched for what it is, a light teenage drama to be binged on a weekend. There isn't a lot of depth in it, but it really isn't fair to expect it from the show in the first place." Raja Sen of Mint reviewed "There is a fair bit that doesn’t — the final episode, evidently existing only to create emotionally high-strung cliff-hangers for the next season, is a massive letdown — but, on the whole, Mismatched has heart." Avinash Ramachandran of The New Indian Express stated, "Despite the missed opportunities and pulled-back punches, Mismatched does have its moments under the Jaipur sun."

Pallabi Dey Purkayastha of The Times of India, gave three out of five and stated, "The fresh pairing of Rohit Saraf and Prajakta Koli is a delight to watch on screen – the duo shares a crackling chemistry and sort of heightens the drama surrounding teenage bickering in an adorable way." Shubham Kulkarni of Koimoi gave the series, a rating of 3 out of 5 and stated, "If you decide to watch this, wear your nostalgia glasses. Also be ready to be impressed by the majority of the cast including Prajakta Koli, Rohit Saraf and the hidden gems Muskkaan Jaferi and Vidya Malvade. If you have nothing to relax with this weekend, go for Mismatched, but with no expectations." Sanjana Jadhav of Pinkvilla stated, "Mismatched on Netlfix creates a young, fun and drama-filled world of college students but with prospects of marriage looming that seems to be the biggest dampener."