'Dating These Nights' ft. Mrunal Thakur, Jim Sarbh, Zoya Akhtar & others go live

Bumble, the popular dating and social networking app, is set to launch the third edition of its popular content series Dating These Nights. Featuring Zoya Akhtar, Mrunal Thakur, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Jim Sarbh, Vijay Varma and Srishti Dixit, Dating These Nights aims to help people discover and navigate deeper and meaningful conversations around modern romance and dating in 2022. The series went live on September 1, 2022 on Bumble's YouTube channel.

The first episode, ‘Romances and Bromances’ will feature award-winning filmmaker Zoya Akhtar and actor Jim Sarbh as they dive into “modern masculinity” discussing what healthy masculinity looks like and more. ‘Age of Love', the second episode of Bumble’s content series, will see popular actors Mrunal Thakur and Shriya Pilgaonkar discuss dating in one’s 30s–an interesting experience when we date on our own terms and timelines. Ending the season, ‘Banking on Love’ will feature the star of the recently released film Darlings, Vijay Varma and influencer Srishti Dixit who explore nuances financial intimacy in relationships in the last episode.

Commenting on the series, Samarpita Samaddar, India Communications Director, Bumble, said, “We are excited to bring back our popular content series in its third edition, this year titled as Dating These Nights. We’re flipping the switch with this after-hours series this year where we don’t sleep over it, instead we delve into deeper and more meaningful conversations around topics that are often considered taboo but need to be discussed openly. We are thrilled to associate with such amazing talent who are known to have carved their lives and journeys on their own terms. As a brand that understands and speaks to modern romance and evolving dating cultures in India, we hope Dating These Nights sparks more meaningful conversations and encourages healthy and equitable relationships.”

Speaking on her association with Bumble, Zoya Akhtar said, “Bumble’s Dating These Nights gives a platform to spark meaningful conversations on less-tackled topics around modern relationships that should be discussed openly.” 

Speaking of modern masculinity, Jim Sarbh shared, “I consider myself fluid when it comes to these concepts as I don’t hold myself to ‘what should be,’ in terms of gender ideas. Masculinity is entirely subjective but I believe we should consider each human being for what they are as opposed to caging them in societal norms. Hailing from an industry that easily typecasts, I am thrilled to be engaged in conversations that go beyond the shackles of traditional notions. More so with Bumble, as this turns out to be my second rendezvous with them, and I applaud the kind of work they do.” 

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Mrunal Thakur when talking about dating in her 30s said, “To me, it's being more assertive about your priorities. In retrospect, even when I meet people who are in their 30s, they are clear about what they want. I am seeking that sort of transparency. Being a part of Bumble’s Dating These Nights series has been an eye-opening  process as I’ve been able to discover myself more. These conversations are surely rendering a positive change in the world and I'm happy that I'm a part of this progressive society and blessed that I can pursue life the way I want even in my 30s.”

Sharing her dating experience in her 30s, Shriya Pilgaonkar said, “As you continue to evolve as a person, your idea of love changes, it matures. We get more comfortable with ourselves as we age and this stems from self-love. In my 30s, I can say that I have a better grasp of who I am and the type of companionship I want to have. It's time that we normalise dating and exploring relationships in our 30s. Bumble’s series does just that by having open conversations and helping individuals navigate their relationships by prioritising themselves over societal norms."

Vijay Varma speaking on financial intimacy in relationships shared, “As a society, we talk about money all the time but we shy away from direct questions about finances as they tend to make us feel insecure. While this stems from patriarchal thinking, I believe this can be destigmatized during the first date itself. Questions like, “Who will pay for the date?” or “Do we split the check?” are a great way to start the money conversation. The idea is to get your partner comfortable with discussing money from the very beginning. Personally, I am a firm believer in having a space to openly discuss these matters in a relationship and I’m so glad that Bumble is taking the effort to make this mainstream.”

Srishti Dixit candidly spoke about her finances, “Growing up, as girls, we've been taught to be very frugal with our money. I believe a lot of them are still learning how to operate their finances better - how to make more, save more, and invest more of our money and be assertive in such situations. I'm glad I got to associate with Bumble to emphasise on the importance of being financially independent in a relationship because ideally, that is what modern dating should look like. It should be an equal partnership.”

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