Netflix reality docusoap “Desi Bling,” which delves into the glossy lives of ultra-wealthy Indian expats living in Dubai, is turning out to be a big hit.
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The show’s seven-episode first season, offering an inside view of the glitzy lifestyle, lavish parties and personal frictions within the elite social circle of Dubai’s rich Desi community — the term used to describe people from the Indian subcontinent (primarily India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) and its global diaspora — has consistently made Netflix’s Global Top 10 list since its May 20 launch. It has even reached the No. 1 slot in India, the UAE and a dozen other countries.
“Desi Bling,” which is a spinoff of “Dubai Bling,” is produced by Dubai-based Different Productions, founded in 2014 by Mazen Laham. Different Productions also makes business reality television series “Shark Tank Dubai” and “Shark Tank Lebanon,” in which aspiring entrepreneurs pitch innovative ideas, among other shows.
“Desi Bling” features Bollywood stars Karan Kundrra and Tejasswi Prakash and Dubai-based billionaires Rizwan Sajan and his wife Sana; Satish Sanpal and his wife Tabinda; Dyuti Parruck and his now estranged wife Irina Kinakh; model Pamela Serena; celebrity astrologer Janvee Gaur; and Alizey Mirza, Lailli Mirza and Mona Mirza, who is the founder of Dubai’s multimillion-dollar Biolite Clinic for plastic surgery and other aesthetic procedures.
Below, Variety speaks to Laham about the secret behind the global success of the show, which is fast becoming one of the most watched pieces of content ever made in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.
Simply put: what is your explanation for the extraordinary success of this show?
The genre of this show, the reality docusoap, is usually successful if you have good cast. So the main recipe has to do with the cast and the storylines that the cast has. Then there is also the whole combination of filming in Dubai and the visuals of how we filmed it. But it’s the storylines and the story arcs between the cast members; this is the main key to its success. And also the originality, because it’s never been done before to have a reality show or a docusoap with the Indian community living in Dubai. And then there is the fact that Netflix is giving this content global access. Netflix gives content an opportunity, in terms of reach, that nobody else in the region can equal.
As a pop culture phenomenon, there is this large Indian population living in Dubai that obviously has a strong allure. Tell me more about the appeal of the kind of voyeuristic aspect of being able to see the lives of these people.
We also did “Dubai Bling,” so they are in the same category. But we pitched this show to Netflix India, not to Netflix MENA, because the target audience is Indians. What makes the audience curious is that they love to see other successful people. They like to see their dreams on screen. In “Desi Bling” we have [self-made billionaire] Rizwan Sajan, owner of Dubai-based real-estate conglomerate Danube Group. So his is a success story. We also have Satish Sanpal, another prominent Indian entrepreneur in Dubai, who is the head of another real estate company Anax Holding [he is known as the billionaire who owns 40 kilos of gold, 5 Rolls-Royces, a Burj Khalifa home and a party yacht]. We have Dyuti Parruck, who was an employee and now has a very big company in Dubai called Decisive Zone. So watching the show as a normal viewer, you have the curiosity to see how these people are living. I think this the entry point. Then, later on, you are connected to their personal stories, rather than their success stories. And also there are some shocking moments pertaining to how they live, and the things they do. This also makes it interesting, and people start talking about it.
What do you consider to be some of the juicier storylines?
I think the most daring story we have is the divorce story between Dyuti Parruck and [Ukrainian model and TV personality] Iryna Kinakh. That was really big moment, which we never expected. We knew that, like, it wasn’t working out that much between them. But we never thought it could reach a point where they would file for divorce. So that was really big. Also, there was the comment from Tabinda Sanpal, known as Binda, who said: “I have 40 kilos of gold.” You know, this extreme lifestyle. We also had a very emotional moment when two big Indian stars, Karan Kundrra and Tejasswi Prakash, got engaged after Karan proposed.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.