Episode Guide
I’ve Dated Lots of Chicks Be a Boss Ovo-lacto-semi-vegetarian I love You Like a Friend The Looks of Clint Eastwood Very Chulbuli All The Bases Covered I Feel Like He’s The One “First is marriage then love. Everything gets adjusted after marriage. You have to adjust a little, then life becomes beautiful and smooth.” When Mrs. Sima Taparia utters these words within the first five minutes of Indian matchmaking, you know you are in for a wild ride. When it was announced that the show ‘Indian Matchmaking’ was renewed for another season, as an Indian I wondered why. Then I went to Twitter and realized how Sima Aunty has actually made a fandom for herself across the world and most fans wanted a sense of closure after the initial season. The second season of ‘Indian Matchmaking’ is pretty much like the first, with Sima Aunty living a double life in the USA and India with a single profession – Matchmaking. As she has a network of clientele in both regions, the show moves between India and the west, with a lot more attention being paid to the US-based Indian-Americans who are looking for other Indian-Americans they want to marry. With Netflix releasing one wedding show after another, ‘Indian Matchmaking’ is a refreshing way to share the way in which Indian weddings actually go about and how a matchmaker really plays a key role in Indian arranged marriages. In the words of Sima Aunty, marriage is not only the union of two people like in the west but the union of two families altogether. The season features some of Sima’s new clients like Akshay who has a “curse” that is hindering his plans to get married and Viral who wants a 90% match and would not even settle for 80% now. Shital who wants a guy as physically fit as she is and Vinesh, who believes that his future partner needs to cook as his mom does. A lot of these criteria would not seem right when it comes to marrying someone in the west but it is typical for the Indian culture, which non-desi fans of the show might find odd. From face reading to a zoom chat with an astrologer to a ‘havan’ (prayer ceremony) to lift the curse, this season saw all the ways in which these clients try their best to find an ideal connection with people they would want to spend their futures with. The show started with Akshay being the “most eligible bachelor in the world” after having “dated some chicks”. Over the course of the season, we learn that Akshay has a curse that is hindering his marriage which needs to be lifted with a prayer ceremony. I wish there was more about his journey to finding a partner, but if one was to trust the face reader Sima aunty trusts, we should get to see more of Akshay’s journey to finding an ideal match in the upcoming season. The show also had level-headed female clients like Viral and Shital who knew what they wished for and were sure that they would not settle for anything less than their worth. It’s pleasing to see both women settle down with their respective partners with the prospect of getting married. Shital shared a unique take with viewers of the show as she found a partner for herself after she was not entirely satisfied with the options Sima was laying out for her. Shital ended up finding her true match, a guy with who she is deeply in love. Arshneel and Rinkel are quite a cute couple, to say the least, and I hope to see them married by Season 3. The show also had Vinesh who seemed like someone who had a chance with Mausam. Sometimes, things do not work out immediately and it looks like there will be a lot more of the loud and chaotic family Vinesh comes from in the next season. As fans of ‘Indian Matchmaking’ would like it, the show did have clients from the first season coming back with Aparna, who had given up on Sima still looking to find love. Aparna stopped relying on Sima’s ideas of ‘adjustment’ and ‘flexibility’ and tried to find true love by relying on fate. Meanwhile, the handsome hunk from season 1 aka Pradhyuman Maloo is a taken man now as he found true love in Asheena. This season saw Pradhyuman’s big fat Indian wedding where he married the girl of his dreams and even shared his beloved closet with her. Talk about progress! Season 2 of ‘Indian Matchmaking’ has the biggest plot twist of all with Nadia. Fans who started sympathizing with her after the “stint” Vinay pulled on her in season 1 were relieved to see how she was going smoothly with Shekar. However, Nadia ends up dumping Shekar stating that there were no sparks between them as she gaslights him while she is already dating Vishal. To see Vishal breaking up with Nadia for the same reason – stating that he was not able to find that spark in his relationship with her, felt like karma catching up! The show is just as good as it gets when it comes to revealing the truth behind Indian Arranged Marriages but there is obviously some sugar-coating to it. The quirky list that comes when ‘Indian Matchmaking’ continues as Sima aunty mindlessly listens to the criteria set by her clients is pure Netflix humor in all honesty. The show is a quick watch and works well in the background for someone who is not as invested in the show. This season however offers some resolution to the questions that fans have been asking since season 1 ended as it features past clients. To me, this season seemed more fruitful than the first, as it saw more couples ending up together. When Viral said, “I’m not looking for my better half but a complete person,” it was empowering to see how Indian women no longer feel like they need to find another person to feel complete and are self-satisfied in themselves. It seems like a whole new world is set to be explored as Sima aunty sets foot in the UK market with Priya listing down her criteria for the matchmaker to start working her magic wand over.
