Nadia Didn't Find Love on "Indian Matchmaking," But She's Still a Romantic (2024)

• Nadia Jagessar, 32, is one of the cast members of the conversation-starting series Indian Matchmaking.
• On the show, she works with matchmaker Sima Taparia to meet a partner. However, like the other contestants on the show, she ended up single.
• Jagessar spoke to OprahMag.com about her life after Indian Matchmaking.

Nadia Jagessar, a 32-year-old wedding planner from New Jersey, spends her life designing other couples' perfect moments with her company, Euphoria Events. She signed up for Indian Matchmaking because she was ready for her moment. "That was the biggest hope going into it it—maybe this would bring me something great," Nadia tells OprahMag.com.

With the release of Indian Matchmaking on Netflix, her moment has arrived—albeit in a different form than she was expecting. The show has been a massive hit, spurring Aparna-related memes, impassioned discussions, and talk of a season 2. "My life has turned upside down in the best way possible. I got recognized on the streets of New York the other day—even with my mask and glasses on," Nadia says.

Merely weeks after Indian Matchmaking dropped on Netflix, and Nadia has already transformed into a veritable Netflix celebrity (it's a thing!), with her Instagram following skyrocketing and her platform as an empowered single woman, growing.

Essentially, Nadia joined Indian Matchmaking with the intention of meeting an individual partner, and instead found a swath of admirers. However, she's still looking for love—but she knows it won't be with Vinay Chadha, one of Sima's matches on Indian Matchmaking.

Though Vinay and Nadia were set up by a matchmaker, their relationship took on a pattern familiar to those dating in the digital age: Whirlwind romance, and unexpected ghosting. By far, Nadia and Vinay's storyline was the most "reality TV show" strand in Indian Matchmaking, largely filmed as if it were a documentary series.

The drama has spilled over past the boundaries of the eight-episode series, with Vinay and Nadia both providing their takes on what really happened. Did Vinay ditch Nadia, and commit Sima's cardinal sin of being "not serious" about settling down? Did Nadia ghost Vinay, as he claimed in DMs to a fan? Speaking to the New York Post, Nadia explained, “I have some messages where I said I don’t wish to pursue anything further, and he did keep reaching out and I ignored him. If he considers that ghosting, that’s fine."

While Nadia understands audience's fascination with the subject, she says it's time to move on. "I don't feel like I have to set the record straight, because the record was shown on the show," Nadia tells OprahMag.com.

Below, Nadia opens up to us about the appeal of matchmaking, the drama associated with dating, and her new life as an influencer.

How has your life changed since Indian Matchmaking came out?

My life has turned upside down in the best way possible. The first few nights I was barely sleeping, because I was so excited and so overwhelmed. Everything has been so amazing—such an outpouring of love that I've gotten from people all over the world, in various ways, shapes, and forms. I've gotten emails, DMs. Even my LinkedIn profile has gotten messages. So it's just all very sweet and also very surreal.

Are people trying to matchmake you?

[Laughs.] I have so many people being like, You have to meet my friend! You should meet my cousin! I'm like, I've been single for six years! It's all very sweet. I always respond back and say, "You're a good friend," or, "You're a good cousin."

What made you say yes to sharing this vulnerable experience on camera?

Like I said on the show, I'm not a shy person. Sharing this piece of my life with the world seemed easy for me. I really did put myself completely out there. What you saw on camera was what you get in real life as well. I wasn't opposed to the idea of matchmaking because my parents were arranged. The concept wasn't foreign to me. I was hoping it would bring me the same success that my parents had. That was the biggest hope going into it it—maybe this would bring me something. I went into it with nothing to lose.

You didn't come out of this with a relationship. How did you feel about that?

I was disappointed that I did not come out of it with a match, because that was my hope or intention for this project. But I don't think it's changed my views on dating, or my views on arranged marriage at all. Relationships are hard regardless of how you meet. At the end of the day, it's really about the two people who are entering into it, as much as it's marrying into the family and friends as well.

There's been intrigue about what happened between you and Vinay...

I understand why people are fascinated by it. But I don't feel like I have to set the record straight because the record was shown on the show, from my end. Everyone's been handling the show in a different way. I just have no hard feelings towards anyone. I want happiness for everybody. I know everyone is going through a really hard time right now.

Has there been any revelations sparked for you, as a result of watching the show?

How much did you expect your Guyanese heritage to be part of the conversation?

I was expecting it to be a piece of my story—cause it is a piece of my story. My entire life, I've dealt with people being like, Well, you're not really Indian. Like I talk about in the show, guys I've dated in the past were like, Well, I need to marry a girl who's from India. And I was like, How does that make me any less of a qualified candidate to date you, even if just because my family is not from India?

Highlighting the fact that I'm Guyanese, but we are so similar to mainland Indians, was was important to me. I know it's not just me who goes through this struggle to explain, or to justify, who we are or what our culture is because other people might not understand it. I've gotten so many messages from people all over the world being like, I'm from Fiji, but originally my family was from India, and people don't understand, or I'm Trinidadian and I have the same problem. It's not just my struggle. I'm proud to represent the Indo-Caribbean diaspora on such a huge platform. Hopefully people learn that the reach of mainland India is much greater than what people see.

At this point, how do you feel about your relationship status? What do you have to say to fellow singles?

I would say, Don't lose hope. I've seen a meme, and it's like, "Nadia's an 11 out of 10. If she gets stood up, there's no hope for the rest of us." But that is completely not true. My name also means "hope" in French. I know, for myself, it'll happen when the stars are aligned. Anyone can find love at any given moment of the day. That's the greatest part. You know, you can walk into the grocery store and bump into somebody who can become your future husband. The hope is always there.

I saw that meme. It reminds me of when people say, "How are you still single?"

I get that question a lot. People are like, You're so pretty! How are you still single? It's like, being pretty is not the only requirement for having a relationship. I don't understand that. But I know people mean it in a good way.

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