Item: Indian Matchmaking
Rating: 6.8
Author: NextFlicks

How does a young Indian find love in the modern world when all else has failed? They use Indian Matchmaking and in this case, Sima, to find their future life partner. While entertaining in parts, this is a very problematic show about how marriage is viewed.

What do you do when you're in your thirties, single and looking for love in the Indian community? You've tried the apps and blind dates, so it's now it's time to try Indian Matchmaking.

The matchmaker (or marriage consultant) in question is Sima Taparia (A Suitable Girl)and her business is to find a cultural match that results in a marriage. It's basically an arranged marriage process.

With her vast database of young single hopefuls, her job is to pair up suitable candidates based on their needs, wants, personalities etc… which is easier said than done.

So how does it all work? Once she is hired, Sima consults the family and gets to know them. She works out what the person wants and doesn't want from a future life partner and then she gets to work finding suitable partners.

Her job takes her across India and the USA and we get a glimpse into the lives of single young Indians looking for love.

Indian Matchmaking Official Trailer

Is Indian Matchmaking Worth Watching?

On the face of it, Indian Matchmaking seems like a good opportunity to explore a culture that most of us are unfamiliar with. However, all it does is highlight the superficiality of the system.

When you are selecting a suitable girl or potential spouse based on how light their skin is, how tall they are, how many degrees they have and how wealthy their family is, you're probably missing the point.

Sure, there are one or two who simply want to meet a nice guy or girl but they are few and far between in the show.

Culturally, it's very telling when a young, educated woman who owns her own successful business is told to lower her expectations and be prepared to drop everything for her future husband.

That's Ankita Bansal, a huge fan favourite and beacon of hope in the show for her progressive view on the world.

Also quite surprising is the difference between the American clients and those based in India. In the US, the unlucky in love clients are really in charge of who they want to meet.

In India not so much. There, the mothers take charge of finding young girls worthy of their darling, albeit completely useless sons. Akshay anyone??

While interesting, Indian Matchmaking Netflix does little to dispel the notion that in some parts of the world, women are no more than a commodity to be put on display and bought for their looks.

And if you happen to be educated, independent and self-sufficient, then be prepared to be viewed as a stubborn picky inflexible woman who no man would want to marry.

Like its polar opposite show, Too Hot To Handle, it's entertaining but for all the wrong reasons.

Indian Matchmaking Season 2 Release Date

While I don't expect any miracles from season 2 of Indian Matchmaking, I genuinely hope that the show's creators delve a little deeper than the superficial pairings in season 1.

While we live in the modern era and there is a place for tradition, arranged marriages are still viewed with a lot of scepticism in the western world. It would be nice to see some promising dates based on more of an equal partnership.

So will we get that or will it be more of the same?

We don't have to wait long to find out as Netflix have announced that season 2 of Indian Matchmaking will premier on August 10th 2022.