Indian Matchmaking: ‘Season Three Seems to Be More Mellowed Down, Which Makes the Experience Less Exciting’
- Sima aunty’s third excursion into matchmaking for lonely hearts premiers to mixed reviews.
The third season of Netflix’s “Indian Matchmaking” premiered last week providing yet again a sneak peek into the world of matchmaking and arranged marriages. The eight-episode series follows Mumbai-based matchmaker Sima Taparia, or Sima aunty, who works with millennials around the globe to search for their perfect match.
Similar to its first two seasons, the latest installment of the series was met with mixed reviews, slamming it for being regressive, perpetuating stereotypes and promoting outdated notions of marriage and gender roles. Despite that, viewers, South Asian and beyond, cannot seem to resist the “cringe-fest,” which helps single desis navigate to meet their match and navigate the world of dating and marriage.
In the third season, which includes Indians in the U.S., U.K, and India, sees Seema aunty is seen expanding some of her range by taking on divorcees and non-Hindus. The changes come after the series was previously called out for its views on caste, class and colorism.
There are many new faces in this installment as well as some familiar faces from previous seasons — Viral and Rushali. Viewers are introduced to the founders of South Asian dating apps, like Dil Mil and Single Muslim. com. They are single and Sima aunty promises to find them a match.
The new season confirms what many viewers discovered earlier — love her or hate her, you cannot ignore Sima aunty, and her stereotypical dialogues — “you are marrying a person, not height” and “matches are made in heaven not trends” — to name a few. She also tells her clients to adjust and compromise when finding their perfect match, as they will not find all qualities they seek in one person.
In its review of the first season, The Atlantic said the series “exposes the easy acceptance of caste, while the Guardian called it “divisive. An Indian American woman told BuzzFeed News the series was “very triggering” to watch. Meanwhile,
Streaming coverage site Ready Steady calls “Indian Matchmaking” a “refreshing dating series that doesn’t have poor editing to make people look bad.” But OTTPlay says “season three seems to be more mellowed down, which makes the experience less exciting.”
The mixed reviews continued to Twitter as well, with many taking sides with a particular person, or calling to someone for their views. “My eyes blacked out during this season of Indian Matchmaking when the ER doctor named Vikash demands a Hindi-speaking girl and then rejects her because she’s “very Indian” (born and raised in India) and speaks with an “Indian” accent,” tweeted Iva Dixit, who reviewed the third season for The New York Times. Her conclusion — It’s time to break up with “Indian Matchmaking.”
My eyes blacked out during this season of Indian Matchmaking when the ER doctor named Vikash demands a Hindi speaking girl and then rejects her because she’s “very Indian” (ie born and raised in India) and speaks with an “Indian” accent. https://t.co/UU0RVF67xc
— Iva Dixit (@ivadixit) April 22, 2023
In a series of tweets, a user named Linii called out the series for normalizing the experience of upper-caste Hindu culture as the whole Indian culture.
Many professed their liking for Bobby, a London-based math teacher, BBC presenter, and podcast host.