“Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare” serves as a stark reminder to be high alert in the modern dating world.
The Netflix documentary by Raw, the production house behind “The Tinder Swindler”, takes streamers on an emotional roller-coaster as it chronicles the true story of Londoner Kirat Assi’s nearly decade-long relationship with a man named Bobby Jandu.
In a shocking turn of events, he turned out to be the sinister creation of someone close to her.
This individual also created fake profiles of people who Assi believed were part of Jandu’s close circle and who engaged in conversations with her.
The most powerful part of the production is Assi’s detailed accounts of the ordeal, from the Facebook friend request, to how their friendship turned romantic, how she supported him through his health issues and how she stumbled on the shocking truth.
The documentary includes feedback from her parents and relatives, providing a heartbreaking account of how Assi’s mental health deteriorated significantly as she got swept up in the romance.
The documentary also neatly unpacks all aspects of the courtship, including some jaw-dropping moments which will send shivers down your spine. This allows streamers to digest the multifaceted care as it serves as a chilling reminder of the dangers lurking in online relationships.
The documentary provides insight into Assi thriving in her career and while she was in a long-term relationship when she befriended Bobby, who was happily married at the time.
She acknowledged that she didn't usually engage with strangers online but she noticed that they had many friends in common on Facebook and that his profile showcased him to be an attractive and successful man who came from a wealthy family.
Assi also believed that he was real because her cousin knew him.
The pair started chatting about their Sikh culture, their love for Manchester United football club and the challenges they were facing in their relationships.
Their bond strengthened after he divorced and she was single again.
This continued for years, even when he told her that he was getting married again. He also introduced her to some of those closest to him online, even his new wife Sanj.
However, at this point, they only texted and she never heard his voice or met him in person.
Then he was shot during an apparent business deal that had gone wrong and he said that he had to relocate to the US as part of the Witness Protection Programme.
He divorced Sanj and confessed his love to Assi, which she reciprocated.
He eventually proposed to her online, without them ever meeting, but he used his alleged life-threatening injuries to manipulate her.
When they eventually started talking on the phone, he said his damaged vocal cords were the reason for his strange voice, which she later realised was altered.
Assi became infuriated when all these red flags were highlighted to her by her loved ones.
Her alarm bells only started to go off when he moved back to London but said that he couldn’t see her because he needed time to adjust.
It left her hellbent on getting answers.
It sent her into a mental spiral when she finally discovered the truth.
As the documentary leaves streamers shocked by how such an elaborate catfishing scheme involving up to 60 fake profiles could have unfolded, many question how Assi could have fallen so hard for a man she never met.
She attempted to justify this by admitting that she faced significant societal and family pressure to get married and that her desperation to have children intensified as she aged.
But she ended up wasting almost 10 years of her life on a fake relationship as well as a massive act of betrayal from a loved one.