Reality TV series ‘Bollywed’ features a South Asian family with a bridal shop in Toronto

The reality TV series Bollywed, which aired on CBC Gem earlier this year and can now be watched online for free, introduces viewers to a South Asian family that has run a bridal shop ‘Chandan’ on Gerard Street in Toronto’s Little India for 37 years.

On the lines of CBC’s Kim’s Convenience, which follows the lives of a Korean-Canadian family and their business, this 10-episode show offers a glimpse into the intergenerational family dynamics of an immigrant Sikh family. It introduces viewers to the fascinating world of South Asian culture and fashion and shines a spotlight on Indian weddings, and India itself.

The show features the Singh family – the parents Jatinder Pal Singh (Kuki), and his wife Sarabjeet (Sarab), along with their two children Chandan and Chandni, and daughter-in-law Roop.

Kuki and Sarab Singh, immigrated to Canada 40 years ago with very little to their name. In 1986, they opened their bridal shop ‘Chandan’ named after their first-born son. The family lived above the store, and Chandan and his sister Chandni grew up amongst the rack of clothes. In addition to wedding wear for brides, grooms and families, the store houses glitzy party outfits as well as accessories for women and men.

There’s plenty of drama and laughs as two generations work together on running their family business. The show also unpacks real life topics that many immigrants will be able to relate to: from parental expectations (“when are the grandkids coming?”), growing up as ‘third culture kids’, to the theme of old ways versus new ways.

So where did the idea for the show come from? Chandan says that when the American series Say Yes to the Dress became widely popular in the early 2000s, customers would say, “you should have your own show!”

Chandan decided to pitch the concept. “I knew the combination of my family, and the business was a winning recipe. I met Gurjeet and Carolyn (from Heart Hat Entertainment, Bollywed‘s production company) one day at a wedding show, we talked about the idea and now the rest is history,” he says.

Chandan Singh says that running the business came easy to the family because of their entrepreneurial background.  “My father watched his father be an entrepreneur, and I watched mine. Same with my mother, she watched her dad run a mechanic shop in India his whole life. I honestly think it’s in our blood,” he says.

“As exhausting as it can be sometimes, the thrill of everyday projects and events, and sales, always gets all of our blood pumping.”

At the end of the day, Chandan’s advice to newcomers and immigrants is straightforward. “Work hard. Be humble. Be honest.”

He also stresses the importance of personal growth. “Always continue working on yourself, by reading, listening to podcasts, and exercising. Do not forget to work as hard on yourself, if not harder, than your job/career,” he says.

Shows like Kim’s Convenience and Bollywed demonstrate the growing representation of immigrants in mainstream media, in response to the changing Canadian landscape. Census data from 2021 revealed that immigrants make up 23 per cent of Canada. India took the top spot as the primary place of birth of new immigrants to Canada (18 per cent of recent immigrants from 2016-2021).

You can watch Bollywed on the CBC Gem website.