Desi Bling couple Tabinda, Satish Sanpal face backlash for normalising infidelity

The reality show Desi Bling, a spin-off of Dubai Bling, has been drawing attention on social media over the remarks made by couples on the show as well as their luxurious lifestyle. Most recently, billionaire entrepreneur couple Satish Sanpal and Tabinda Sanpal faced heavy online backlash, with several users accusing them of “normalising infidelity” in marriage.

The criticism followed Tabinda’s remarks in one of the episodes. She said, “Satish goes out partying, I know that he goes out with girls. When there’s a different girl every time, it’s okay, but if it’s the same girl every time, then you think it’s a problem. If this is Satish’s party, it can’t be without girls.” Her comments quickly triggered reactions across social media platforms.

One internet user wrote, “Wait, so now wives are normalising husbands having girlfriends?” Another commented, “So we are normalising this nonsense?” Another Instagram user said, “It’s disgusting to even think that women have normalised this.”

Filmmaker Lakshmi R Iyer, known for films such as Appa (2017) and First Second Chance (2022), also criticised Tabinda’s comments.

She wrote, “Saw a clip from a reality show where a wife said she’s okay with her husband cheating as long as the woman isn’t repeated. Stop normalising this bullsh*t. Stop setting terrible examples in the name of being ‘modern’ or ‘cool’. Being loyal is still attractive. Being honest is still attractive. Stop letting social media convince you otherwise (sic).”

Actor Devoleena Bhattacharjee replied to her post, saying, “Yaa apparently the man will fall in love if he meets the same woman (laughing emojis).”

On X, too, users criticised the couple’s remarks. One user wrote, “What did I just hear? She is ready to defend her cheating husband because he cheats every night with a new girl, not the same girl. #TejasswiPrakash summed it up brutally: ‘40 kg gold hai to ye sab ok hai’ #DesiBling.”

Another wrote, “Watching #DesiBling and honestly #SirSatishSanpal & #TabindaSanpal marriage model needs anthropological study. She says he can party with different women all night, just not the same woman repeatedly because that may mean ‘emotional attachment’. Then comes the 40 kg gold flex, annual Dhanteras gold gifts and ‘I massage his feet every morning so he wakes like a prince.’ Sorry but what is this being sold as? Trust? Tradition? Luxury? What? (sic).”

The episode has added to the wider buzz around Desi Bling, with Satish and Tabinda Sanpal’s remarks becoming a major talking point online and drawing criticism from social media users as well as public figures.