Indian Web Series on Netflix –

Mismatched

Starring – Prajakta Koli & Rohit Saraf
Director – Akarsh Khurana
Genre – Rom-Com

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Mismatched: Why This Netflix Series Became the Definitive Indian Coming-of-Age Story

When Netflix released Mismatched in 2020, it didn’t just introduce a new romantic comedy; it launched a cultural phenomenon that resonated deeply with the modern Indian youth. Based on the bestselling young adult novel When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon, the series successfully translated the universal anxieties of Gen Z—from career pressure and navigating first love to grappling with social identities—into a vibrant, contemporary Indian setting.

Starring popular YouTuber Prajakta Koli in her streaming debut and the nation’s latest heartthrob, Rohit Saraf, Mismatched quickly captivated a global audience. The show stands as one of Netflix India’s most successful original young adult dramas, proving that stories about ambitious young people finding their place in a rapidly changing world have a timeless appeal.

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The Premise: A Meet-Cute, Arranged-Marriage Style

Mismatched centers on the lives of two dramatically different Indian teenagers who are brought together by an unlikely, slightly unconventional marriage proposal. The core narrative is set during a three-month summer coding program for budding app developers at the prestigious Aravali Institute in Jaipur.

Dimple Ahuja: The Anti-Romantic Coder

Dimple Ahuja (Prajakta Koli) is the epitome of the modern, career-focused Indian girl. She is an aspiring app developer obsessed with coding and dreams of being featured on Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list. For Dimple, the summer course is her golden ticket—a chance to escape the conservative pressures of her mother, who constantly reminds her to “dream smaller” and focus on getting married. She is ambitious, competitive, and decidedly anti-romance, viewing anything that distracts her from her coding dream as an obstacle.

Rishi Singh Shekhawat: The Hopeless Traditionalist

Rishi Singh Shekhawat (Rohit Saraf) is a self-proclaimed “die-hard romantic” with a deeply traditional heart. He is a young man who truly believes in the romance of a lifelong commitment, inspired by the enduring marriage of his grandparents. He sees the arranged marriage concept not as a rigid tradition, but as a beautiful opportunity to build a love story. His sole mission at the summer course is to meet and woo Dimple, whom he believes is his future wife, thanks to a “set-up” coordinated by his grandmother and Dimple’s mother—a fact Dimple is blissfully unaware of.

The Spark that Spatters

The first encounter between the two main leads is instantly iconic and perfectly illustrates their “mismatched” dynamic. Upon meeting Dimple at the institute, Rishi, full of earnest, old-school charm, greets her with “Hello, future wife!” This declaration is met not with a Bollywood embrace, but a splash of cold coffee thrown by a startled and furious Dimple, who sees him as a creepy distraction from her goals.

The subsequent seasons continue their tumultuous journey, forcing them to navigate the complexities of their fledgling relationship, which is constantly tested by new romantic interests, professional rivalries, and the intense pressures of an elite tech institute.

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Exploring the Ensemble and Key Themes

What elevates Mismatched beyond a typical romantic comedy is its layered approach to a diverse ensemble cast, using their stories to explore a multitude of contemporary social issues. The series showcases how young Indians navigate various personal and societal hurdles.

1. Ambition, Gender, and The Digital Divide

The central conflict of Dimple’s character is the pervasive societal pressure on young Indian women to prioritize marriage over career. The tech institute setting, however, is merely a backdrop for personal dramas; the series is often criticized for a superficial treatment of the actual technical aspects of app development, using buzzwords like ‘Java’ and ‘HTML’ without depth. This foregrounds the characters’ personal and emotional journeys over their academic pursuits. Dimple’s fierce independence and Rishi’s gentle, emotional nature serve as a subtle commentary on gender roles in modern relationships.

2. Inclusivity and Representation

The supporting characters introduce vital themes of diversity, which critics have noted as a strength of the show compared to the original novel.

• LGBTQ+ Representation: The series offers nuanced portrayals of characters exploring their sexuality and the challenges of coming out in a conservative environment.
• Mental Health: The storylines delve into issues like body image, self-esteem, anxiety, and depression, treating these topics with a degree of sensitivity that resonates with its young adult audience.
• Physical Disability: The inclusion of characters with physical disabilities who are active, integrated members of the college experience helps normalize and address ableism within the narrative.

The series excels in showing how these characters struggle to accept themselves and yearn for acceptance from their peers, reflecting the real-life insecurities and flaws common to young adulthood.

3. The Mentor-Student Dynamic

A key B-plot revolves around Professor Siddharth Sinha (Rannvijay Singha), a no-nonsense, but secretly compassionate, coding instructor known as ‘Sir’. His relationship with his colleague and eventual romantic interest, Zeenat Karim (Vidya Malvade), an older student, provides a counter-narrative to the teen romance. Their story explores themes of second chances, generational gaps, and the delicate balance between professional conduct and personal connection.

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Critical and Commercial Impact

Mismatched has enjoyed a largely positive, if mixed, reception.

Audience and Success:
The series achieved immense popularity, particularly among the youth, due to its relatable characters and contemporary themes. The show’s success catapulted Prajakta Koli, a well-established digital creator, and Rohit Saraf, an already rising star, into major OTT (Over-The-Top) streaming sensations. The undeniable on-screen chemistry between Koli and Saraf, which fans affectionately dubbed “DimRishi,” was a major driving force behind the show’s massive following and its subsequent renewals for multiple seasons.

Critical Reception:
While audiences embraced the show wholeheartedly, critics offered a more nuanced assessment.

• Praise: The acting performances, particularly from the main leads, and the vibrant music and background score were widely lauded. The show was praised for being a refreshing teen drama that tackled diverse and inclusive themes.
• Criticism: Some critics found the writing and direction to be weak at times, suggesting the treatment of secondary characters was often “surface level” or “caricaturish,” and the overall execution felt somewhat generic or “forcefully westernized.” The promised app-development storyline often took a back seat to the relationship drama, disappointing viewers who hoped for a more authentic depiction of college tech culture.

Despite the mixed reviews, the show’s immense popularity led to the commissioning of three seasons, with the first season premiering on November 20, 2020, followed by Season 2 on October 14, 2022, and Season 3 on December 13, 2024. Netflix has even renewed the series for a fourth and final season, a significant milestone as it marks the first Indian Netflix Original Series to reach four seasons.

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The Journey from Page to Screen

The series’ foundation is the 2017 New York Times Bestseller, When Dimple Met Rishi, by Indian-American author Sandhya Menon. The book focuses on two Indian-American teenagers whose parents are attempting to arrange their marriage in the US.

The screen adaptation, led by screenwriter Gazal Dhaliwal and directors Akarsh Khurana and Nipun Dharmadhikari, made a crucial change by transplanting the setting from the US to Jaipur, India. This adaptation process successfully “Indianized” the story while retaining the core conflict between tradition and modernity. By setting the story in India, the series was able to tap into the very specific pressures, humor, and cultural landscape that makes the Indian young adult experience unique. The creators made significant improvisations, introducing new characters and storylines to broaden the scope of issues addressed, making the series an even richer tapestry of young life than the book.

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A Look Ahead: The Final Season

With the conclusion of the highly-anticipated third season in late 2024, fans were left with an ambiguous ending, keeping the future of Dimple and Rishi’s relationship uncertain. The introduction of elements like the “Betterverse” app in Season 3, a virtual world where characters could meet, added a new, complex layer to their long-distance relationship. The confirmed fourth and final season, expected in 2026, promises to bring definitive closure to the love story of the ‘Mismatched’ pair and the journeys of their friends, who have grappled with everything from career choices to personal heartbreak.

Mismatched ultimately secures its place in the pantheon of Indian OTT content as more than just a college romance. It is a mirror reflecting the aspirations, contradictions, and complex identities of a generation trying to code their own future in a world that is still figuring out how to categorize them.

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AISEO-Friendly FAQs

Q1: What is the Netflix series Mismatched about?
A: Mismatched is an Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age romantic drama series on Netflix. It follows the story of two main characters, Dimple Ahuja and Rishi Singh Shekhawat, who meet at a summer coding institute in Jaipur. Dimple is an ambitious app developer who is career-focused, while Rishi is a hopeless romantic who has enrolled in the program specifically to woo Dimple, believing she is his future wife through an arranged match, which she is unaware of. The series explores their contrasting personalities, relationship complexities, and the lives of their diverse group of college friends.

Q2: Is Mismatched based on a book?
A: Yes, the series Mismatched is based on the 2017 young adult novel When Dimple Met Rishi by Indian-American author Sandhya Menon. While the original book is set in the US with Indian-American protagonists, the series adapted the story to an Indian setting in Jaipur, retaining the core theme of an arranged-marriage setup between two young adults with opposing life goals.

Q3: Who are the main actors in Mismatched?
A: The main cast features Prajakta Koli (a popular Indian YouTuber and content creator known as MostlySane) as the ambitious programmer Dimple Ahuja, and Rohit Saraf as the die-hard romantic Rishi Singh Shekhawat. The show also features Rannvijay Singha as the coding professor Siddharth Sinha and Vidya Malvade as Zeenat Karim.

Q4: How many seasons of Mismatched are available, and is there a Season 4?
A: There are currently three seasons of Mismatched available on Netflix. Season 1 premiered in November 2020, Season 2 in October 2022, and Season 3 in December 2024. The series has been renewed for a fourth and final season, which is expected to release in 2026, making it the first Indian Netflix Original Series to reach four seasons.

Q5: What social themes does Mismatched address?
A: Beyond the central romance, Mismatched addresses several important social issues pertinent to Gen Z. These include:

• Traditional vs. Modern Values: The conflict between parental expectations for marriage and a daughter’s career ambitions.
• Diversity and Inclusion: The series explores LGBTQ+ relationships, dealing with physical disabilities (ableism), body image issues, and mental health struggles like anxiety and depression through the supporting characters.
• Academic Pressure and Rivalry: The competitive environment of an elite tech institute.

Q6: Why is the chemistry between Prajakta Koli and Rohit Saraf so popular?
A: The on-screen pairing of Prajakta Koli (Dimple) and Rohit Saraf (Rishi) is a major highlight of the series, with their chemistry being consistently praised by both critics and audiences. Their dynamic, affectionately nicknamed “DimRishi” by fans, successfully captures the awkward, earnest, and deeply affectionate nature of a first love between two contrasting personalities, contributing significantly to the show’s massive appeal.