Abhishek “Shake” Chatterjee’s love story onLove Is Blindmay not have panned out as expected, but that doesn’t seem to be getting him down.
The 33-year-old DJ and veterinarian metDeepti Vempatiin the dating pods on season 2 of the Netflix reality series. However, after getting engaged sight unseen, their relationship hit a rough patch when Shake admitted he wasn’t feelingan “intense physical connection"with her.
This eventually led Deepti, 31, not to go through with the marriage on their wedding day, as she told Shake, “I deserve somebody who knows for sure. So I’m choosing myself and I’m going to say no.” (Deepti hassince confirmed to PEOPLEthat she and Shake are “not in touch.")
Though the pair never rekindled their romance, Shake tells PEOPLE after Friday’s reunion show that he’s “truly the happiest I’ve ever been.”
“Right now, I’m self-focused,” he says of his current relationship status. “It’s interesting though because when you become self-focused, it’s also when you start getting the most attention.”
Abhishek “Shake” Chatterjee.SER BAFFO/NETFLIX
“When you prioritize yourself — I think that’s the best relationship advice I could give somebody, honestly,” he continues. “When I started focusing on my goals, what I want out of life, my mission, everything else just started to fall in place … and that becomes magnetic.”
“I’m in a good spot right now, despite what it may look like,” he adds. “This is truly the happiest I’ve ever been.”
Deepti Vempati and Abhishek “Shake” Chatterjee.Netflix
Ever since the Netflix hit’s sophomore season aired, Shakehas received criticismfor the ways in which he spoke about women’s physical appearances.
Throughout the season, Shake repeatedly said he never dated a woman within his race before. In the dating pods, he also revealed that he preferred women he could “lift on his shoulders during music festivals.”
“I want the emotional connection, everything that we know the show is supposed to do,” he said. “But there’s also certain criteria there that goes beyond the emotional connection.”
Shake on Love Is Blind.Netflix
As for whether he’d consider dating within his race again, Shake tells PEOPLE, “Absolutely.”
“This is interesting because my taste in women has opened up so much,” he explains. “It’s incredible because I legitimately feel all women are beautiful.”
“I can’t help what I’m attracted to, and what I’m not attracted to — that doesn’t change. But I’m open to anything now, in a way I’ve never been before,” he adds. “I’m talking about size, height, whatever. As a guy, I think I can tell you: women are just beautiful. They’re nice to be around and [have] feminine energy … I don’t know if it’s the show or if I’m hitting a certain age, but it’s a beautiful thing.”
Shake and Deepti on Love Is Blind.netflix
Shake previously addressed the criticism he’s received in a video onInstagramTuesday. In the clip, he said that while he continues to work on himself and “get better” in certain aspects of his life, he doesn’t regret the way in which he behaved.
“One thing I don’t feel inclined to do is to pretend I’m sad or sorry about certain things — certain things that were out of my control, certain things that I can’t necessarily even speak out,” he said. “I’m just not going to do that.I’m not sorry.”
“I think I handled the situation as best as anybody in my situation could,” he added. “And at the end of the day, I’m going to live my best life going forward. And you don’t have to like me. Only I have to like me, thankfully. And that’s real life.”
Season 2 ofLove Is Blindis streaming now on Netflix.
source: people.com
