Indian Matchmaking’s Pradhyuman opens up on how people questioned his sexuality

Pradhyuman recently talked about how people stereotyped him. (Source: pradhyum.m/Instagram)

When Sima Taparia‘s client Pradhyuman is introduced in the Netflix show Indian Matchmaking, one of the first things that the audience’s attention is drawn to is his cooking skills — in one scene he can be seen preparing exotic dishes for the matchmaker and his family.

Pradhyuman’s portrayal in the show — from cooking to delaying marriage — has led to a lot of debate on his sexuality, he revealed to Humans of Bombay. “Shortly after the show was released a close friend of mine alerted me that I was trending on Twitter, with hundreds of people debating my sexuality. Unsolicited comments assumed I was gay or bisexual, and urged me to come out of the closet. I felt anger and resentment, but gradually I gained my composure and began to question their reasoning,” he was quoted as saying.

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What is an idea flow? A flow is a trance like state in which other things don’t seem to exist or become inconsequential. An idea flow is a similar thought process with an idea. And I tend to walk in circles till the time I don’t complete the whole vision of the idea. Always wanting to experiment with my favourite dish, sushi. I thought why not reimagine a sushi. First problem solving thought process was how can I make a sushi in a drink; put a sushi, use the signature ingredients or simply accompany it with sushi. Finalizing on using the same ingredients of a sushi, I wanted to create a drink equally simple and distinct as each ingredient tastes in a sushi. Wanted the cocktail to taste differently at each level hence needed to create barriers. First was wasabi and salt, initially was scared will be too strong for the drink, but the right application has been a refreshing addition to my cocktail palate. Second, some gari/ sushi ginger is one of my favourite items in the sushi eating experience. Simply adding them always adds a mouthful of flavour. Thirdly, most difficult was soy jelly. To get this right, I had to really think of something that would hold soy (overpowering taste) and still coexist. I rejected sperification as it was not a household method and needed some learning. So I went with jelly, the sound of the word jelly bring happiness to my mind. After jellyfing wasabi, soy, nori, vodka and sesame seeds, I could vouch for soy being the best. Hence soy jelly. To make soy jelly please see how to make jelly with agar agar powder and add japanese soy to it. Simple. For the alcohol, needed a rice based alcohol as most of the sushi base is made with rice. Simple I searched my favourite alcohol vodka made from a different grain. Rice vodka. Finally added some iced sesame seeds and asparagus to get the garnishing and look right. And voila, sushi in a glass, redefined. To check the same in video, go to @thecocktailstory What’s your favourite cocktail?

A post shared by Pradhyuman Maloo (@pradhyum.m) on Aug 17, 2020 at 9:42am PDT

In the Netflix show, Pradhyuman comes across as a metrosexual man who meticulously invests in his style and sense of fashion (remember his extravagant closet?), which may not be the ultimate masculine attributes, given how many usually associate self-care and fashion with women. “I tried to understand the mindset of a ‘hater’, only to realise that they had based their assumptions on my interests in things like fashion, cooking, and the societal pressure of taking time to choose a life-partner. All I could think of was that, ‘Are men not supposed to be creative?’, ‘Are men not supposed to like fashion?’, ‘Can men not cook?’, ‘Do only women belong in the kitchen?’” Pradhyuman added.

Read| The evolution of marriage, from strictly arranged to semi-arranged

Talking about how we tend to stereotype gender and sexuality, he further said. “I’m straight, but I am being stereotyped due to a deep-seated mindset of Indian society. I even thought of the alternate scenario: What if the person in question really was gay? What if that person had been forced out of the closet with no consent of their own? That thought frightened me. Were these haters ready to take the blame for the consequences of their words? As a society, we have belittled the LGBTQ community by using them as a tool of mockery.” He said, “People will judge you for not being ‘manly’ enough, but I want other men to know that it’s okay to be who you are and do what you love.”

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