Netflix's 'Sweet Bobby' is the story of an 8-year catfishing case. Here's what the victim thinks motivated it.
Courtesy of Netflix
- In "Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare," Kirat Assi describes being deceived for almost a decade.
- The catfisher created multiple fake Facebook accounts to keep up the deceit.
- Here's why Assi believes she was targeted.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Netflix's "Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare" and Tortoise's podcast "Sweet Bobby."
Kirat Assi, a woman catfished by a relative for eight years, is telling her story again in Netflix's new documentary "Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare."
But the film still leaves viewers wondering why Simran Bhogal, the relative, began the deception in the first place.
Fictional and non-fictional scammer stories have been booming on Netflix — examples include 2022's "Inventing Anna" series and "The Tinder Swindler" documentary.
Raw, the production "The Tinder Swindler" and 2024's "American Nightmare," condensed Assi's yearslong catfishing into one film.
In "Sweet Bobby," Assi describes how Bhogal created Facebook accounts to pretend to be a real-life person, Bobby Jandhu, and his family members to carry on an online relationship with her — the phenomenon known as catfishing.
The messages started in 2010 and lasted until Assi tried to track down Jandhu and found the real person.
Though Bhogal claimed to be overseas, she and Assi lived relatively close to each other in London.
Courtesy of Netflix
The real Jandhu had no idea who Assi was when she confronted her. After this, Assi said, Bhogal admitted to the deception.
Assi sued Bhogal in the English court system. In 2021, they reached a settlement consisting of a payout to Assi and an apology letter she could show to a limited number of people.
Jandhu, who also appears in the documentary, said Bhogal messaged him to apologize when caught.
Though Assi suggested that Bhogal did it for "entertainment," Bhogal never gives her side of the story in the documentary.
Text at the end of the documentary said that Bhogal declined to be interviewed and instead gave a statement.
"This matter involves events that began when she was a schoolgirl. She considers it a private matter and strongly objects to what she describes as 'numerous unfounded' and damaging accusations," it said of her response.
However, in the past, Assi did give some hints about Bhogal's motivations during a 2021 podcast series, Tortoise Media's "Sweet Bobby."
Kirat Assi suggested that Simran Bhogal was in a "dark place" when she began the catfishing
Courtesy of Netflix
In the podcast, Assi described a draft apology letter Bhogal gave her after Assi took legal action against her in 2020.
Assi didn't read the letter on the podcast, citing the legal settlement, but she describes it as the most emotional letter she got from her cousin.
"It was all like she would change everything if she could, and it was all very gushing, and I'm sorry for all the hurt, the pain I caused," Assi said.
The podcast host, Alexi Mostrous, said Bhogal wrote in the letter that she was struggling with personal issues and thought she and Assi "just clicked" when they met.
Assi said: "There was a phrase that she used that bothered me. She honestly believed that we were both in a dark place and living in this kind of alternative reality, or this fantasy world that she'd created was bringing us both some kind of happiness and joy.
"And the fact that she's only just realized that it wasn't any kind of fantasy for me and it wasn't bringing me any kind of happiness that really sticks out for me."
Assi also said that in the letter, Bhogal said she tried to end the relationship, being nasty to Assi to push her away.
"But then Bobby would always have a heart attack or a stroke, and then I'd have to come back in, so I don't understand," Assi added.
She said she didn't believe the apology was genuine because it was only given after the court proceedings began.
"She could have sent that to me ages ago. She could have stopped it being filed to court. Why did she only recognize all of this now? Did she not recognize it when she confessed?" Assi said.
Like in the documentary, Bhogal refused to be interviewed, and her lawyers gave a similar statement to the podcast, so "Sweet Bobby" fans will likely never hear Bhogal's explanation firsthand.