Richa said she wanted a man who was not "too dark"
The first season of Indian Matchmaking featured Richa Aggarwal from San Diego, California.
Although her appearance on the reality show was brief, it was controversial due to her demands about what she was looking for in a partner.
In the eighth episode, Sima Taparia flew to San Diego to meet her client Richa.
Richa’s older sister had married an Indian man, whom she had met on an Indian dating site.
Sima was invited to a party because Richa’s younger brother got married the night before the matchmaker’s arrival and there was a “rush” to get Richa married.
Richa wanted to please her parents with her choice and was interested in finding an Indian husband.
However, what she was looking for in a man sparked controversy among viewers back in 2020.
During the short conversation with Sima, Richa explained that she wanted a man that immediately “jumps right in” to make a first impression.
That person should be a good communicator who would have fun with her family.
Richa also wanted an ambitious and passionate partner, stating that he should be fit, funny and extroverted.
She added: “I don’t want a fly on the wall.”
Richa told Sima that because she cooks a lot of eggs, she wanted a partner who enjoyed spending time in the kitchen.
Her demands then became more problematic as Richa said she wanted a man who was not “too dark” but “fair-skinned”.
She added: “Just mould me, make it into a man, and then have the same exact family.”
As Richa continued to list her demands, Sima rolled her eyes and said:
“Matchmaking can be a tough job but I’m trying my best.”
Another demand was that Richa wanted a man who was much taller than her, even when she is wearing “five-inch heels”.
Richa thought she could slip in her colourist requirement and no one would notice. Sima clearly condones this kind of behaviour because she’s banged on about fair skin being a positive this whole show. It’s disgusting. #IndianMatchmaking pic.twitter.com/mCxOzQ7CZK
— Zudini (@bookofzu) July 25, 2020
Her “colourist” comments sparked backlash when the episode was released in 2020 and continue to do so now.
One Reddit user recalled the scene and claimed that Netflix ruined Richa’s life by keeping in the comment, calling the producers “savage” for not letting Richa redeem herself in season two.
The user posted: “They (Netflix) teased her at the end of season one as being on season 2, but edited in one line where she said she preferred fair-skinned guys.
“Unfortunately in this political climate, she screwed herself career-wise, forever, and Netflix didn’t even give her a chance to appear on Season 2 to redeem herself. Savage producers lol.”
But users did not agree with the post, stating that Richa was the only one to blame.
One Reddit user wrote:
“Netflix didn’t ruin her life. They didn’t make up what she said. She said it herself.”
“Granted, maybe a few years ago there would be no problem with somebody expressing a preference for lighter skin partners because people weren’t even aware the colourism was a bad thing.”
Another said: “Yeah maybe she shouldn’t be so colourist, she ruined her own life.”
Following her controversial appearance on the first season of Indian Matchmaking, what is Richa up to now?
She was not brought back by Netflix to appear in a future season, possibly due to her comments.
Although she has an Instagram account, her last post was in 2016, suggesting that Richa prefers to keep her private life away from the public eye.
It may also be due to the fact that she may still face backlash for the comment she made on the show.
According to her LinkedIn profile, she continues to work as a Staff Embedded Software Engineer for Qualcomm, a job she has had since 2010.
Given that Sima has a 0% success rate when it comes to getting her clients married, it is possible that Richa did indeed find a partner.
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