Tabinda Sanpal is the boss of the trad-wife multiverse. And she makes Bollywood’s very own Shalini Passi look sane. For those lucky enough not to know, Tabinda—or Binda, as she is called by family and friends—is the founder and director of ANAX Capital, a financial services firm based in Dubai. Tabinda and her husband, businessman Satish Sanpal, live in the Burj Khalifa, and they have opened the doors to their ultra-rich life for the Netflix series, Desi Bling.
Every time Tabinda opens her mouth, you are either laughing, blinking in disbelief, or wondering if she is just trying to stay in character. Satish’s personality, on the other hand, is all about establishing that he is “rich.” He came to Dubai from Jabalpur with “just” one million dirham (roughly Rs 2.6 crore) before making it big in the gold business.
From episode one of Desi Bling, the hierarchy in Satish’s life is crystal clear: money first, daughter Isabella second, wife third. Tabinda, though, doesn’t seem too bothered because her love language is measured in gold—kilos of it.
While hosting TV couple Tejasswi Prakash and Karan Kundrra, Tabinda revealed she owns 40 kg of gold.
“Satish buys me 3 kg every year,” she says in the show.
She has mannequins dripping in gold, accessories sparkling under showroom lighting, and enough bling to blind someone. The couple also revealed they bought gold cutlery for their daughter, who was born nine years into their marriage. Naturally, a silver spoon wasn’t enough.
On Isabella’s first birthday, they dressed her in an outfit made of 24-carat gold and gifted her a customised pink Rolls-Royce.
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Bringing Lakshmi into the house
Somehow, her gold obsession isn’t even the wildest part of Tabinda’s personality. Her most eccentric moments arrive when she claims that massaging her husband’s feet, trimming his nails, and “pampering” him brings “Lakshmi” into the house.
Two minutes of silence, please.
In one scene, while massaging Satish’s feet, Tabinda negotiates for a Hermes bag because she gave him “extra minutes” of massage.
The fear is that some women might actually start romanticising the life she is selling. Just when we were collectively trying to move past the glorified trad-wife fantasy, Tabinda comes with her gold and designer labels, making this submission look aspirational again.
Her fallaciousness doesn’t end here. During a conversation about Satish partying with women, she appears completely unfazed. When her girlfriends, including actor Tejasswi Prakash, point it out, Tabinda shrugs it off. I get it, everyone defends their husbands in a public setting. But Tabinda doesn’t stop there.
“It’s a new girl every time. Had it been the same girl, then it’s a problem,” she says.
In my entire dating history, I have never been as delusional as Tabinda is about her marriage. At this point, I am struggling to even find the right category for her. Is this internalised misogyny? Is she performative? Or is it some elite-level rage bait?
And let’s clear it up: Tabinda is no Shalini Passi.
Passi also left the internet blinking in confusion, but she was iconic. Her one-liner, “I don’t hold grudges because it affects my skin,” was the spiritual slogan of 2024. But most importantly, Passi always came across as her own person, someone with an identity beyond being a billionaire’s wife.
Binda, on the other hand, feels far more unsettling. There is no glamour to her absurdity. She is what happens when patriarchy gets unlimited spending power, tons of gold, and a Netflix deal.
At the end of seven episodes, I can say that Netflix owes me compensation and possibly a therapist.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)