Mismatched Review: Fitting, Sweet and Wholesome!

More on the lines of the recent Netflix India’s contemporary dramas, Mismatched, much like its predecessors – Maska and Masaba Masaba is both emotional and wholesome to watch at the same time. Starring Prajakta Koli and Rohit Saraf in the lead roles, the six-episode series is based on the 2017 New York Times bestseller, When Dimple Met Rishi, written by Sandhya Menon with Rannvijay Singha, Vidya Malavade, Muskkaan Jaferi, and Devyani Shorey as the supporting cast.

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The storyline of Mismatched revolves around two polar opposite young adults, Dimple (Prajakta Koli), a “gamer girl” who aspires to become an entrepreneur and idolizes anyone who shares her point of view. Despite her mom’s constant pressure about her appearance and her impending marriage, she somehow manages to join a three-month-long course on developing internet apps in her neighborhood city, Jaipur, and regards it as a break from all the chaos at home.

On the other hand, Rishi (Rohit Saraf), who is all about that conventional old school vibe, makes, in his opinion, the right decision to get married at the age of 18, just like his grandparents. And in the process of finding the “right” girl, he comes across Dimple on a marriage bureau type group and decides to pursue her by joining the same course at Jaipur. Subsequently, detailing a journey that is unlike anything an 18-year old experience, the remainder of the show explores if the duo bond together or end up hating each other in the process.

Beginning with one of the many positives of Mismatched, complementing its characters and their traits, the entire show that explores more of the exotic and the contemporary side of Jaipur superbly fits in with the story and the vibe the makers are going for. The college premises, hostels, and the few restaurants we see in the show feel like characters and immerses you in this world we get to watch on-screen. And much like his previous feature movie, Karwaan (set in South India), Akarsh Khurana manages to take full advantage of the city the story takes place in and successfully captures the true elegance and exhibits it as the heart and soul of the storyline.

Furthermore, much like the production design, the music of Mismatched also helped connect to the narrative and the roles more flawlessly. The peppy and ambient beats from a handful of composers, most notably Prateek Kuhad and Jasleen Royal, followed by the subtle background score once again kept the show fresh. And most importantly, it made me turn off my brain for a while as I enjoyed watching the narrative play on-screen.

A few other aspects that Mismatched nails through and through are the characters and their characteristics. The whole attitude of accomplishing something in life, dreaming big, and not knowing the repercussions or at least having minimum life experience was portrayed on-screen decently from start to finish. Their internet-heavy lifestyles and not being able to express or be their real selves and the entire concept of hiding behind an acceptable character was also a strong theme that is narrated beautifully and occupied a heftier portion of the show.

The characters in Mismatched, from top to bottom, were interestingly written as everyone shared a unique set of qualities and personalities that are in contrast to each other. With them being in their early teenage years, the writers have the liberty to tell an appealing coming-of-age storyline in every single individual from the primary young adult cast accompanied by a splendid character arc with an added variety of layers and dispositions.

Even though the story of Mismatched is capable enough for me to sit through without getting vexed, there are drawbacks that I could not help but notice from time to time. A romantic story that briefly blends in a few other genres by equally justifying all the primary cast, the narrative takes detours from a few critical moments or does not fully strike that emotion at the right moment. And that, in turn, doesn’t make you feel more about the scene or the characters.

The performances from the complete cast are solid throughout the show. Prajakta Koli surprised me for the most part as far as her acting ability goes. She portrayed her character flawlessly alongside her counterpart, Rohit Saraf, who was decent as the kid who belongs to a Rajput family with his set of old-school beliefs. Rannvijay Singha and Vidya Malavade as the elderly duo were a treat to watch. Devyani Shorey and Muskkaan Jaferi together had quite a few moments to shine, and they hit the ball out-of-the-park every time.

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Overall, despite a few noticeable flaws, the Netflix Original, Mismatched, impresses from the beginning till the end with its intriguing narrative that has the right amount of emotions, well-written characters, wholesome moments, to-the-point character depictions, and decent performances. Bolstered with some elegant production design and mellow music, Mismatched acts as the proper relaxant if you had a long day and need something to divert your mind from the outside world. Watch ‘Mismatched’ on Netflix here.

Rating – 3.25/5 | Grade – B

Images via Netflix