Matchmaking Reality Show Courting TV Viewers in India

“Boy meets girl” in India usually means boy meets girl with both sets of parents in tow. And in a new twist, an Indian reality-TV series is showing the process of traditional arranged marriages four days a week.

The young woman and her parents choose one of three men--for keeps--on the program “There Is Someone Somewhere.”

Popular Hindi movie star Madhuri Dixit plays matchmaker-host. Dressed as if she were attending an Indian wedding, in embroidered saris and chunky gold jewelry, Dixit dances and sings, “In our hearts there is hope ... maybe here itself ... there will be an auspicious marriage.”

Dixit met the man she recently wed in a traditional arranged marriage.

Many Indians find spouses through such marriages, where parents vet proposals sent by friends and relatives. Others place advertisements in newspapers or use the Internet to reach Indians abroad.

The show, which began two weeks ago, opens the arrangements to the public. It shifts between segments in young people’s homes and discussions in a Bombay TV studio with Dixit, the potential spouses and their families hashing things out.

The process stretches over four episodes, with the bride-to-be meeting potential mates on Monday’s and Tuesday’s episodes, and the decision coming by Thursday’s. The process then starts with a new woman the next week.

In traditional arranged marriages, families do extensive checks on each other. In the televised version, producers conduct background checks ranging from college grades to the applicant’s aspirations.

Fans say the show is realistic. “In India, you don’t marry just the boy, you marry the family,” says college student Viveka Pandit.