Indian Matchmaking Season 2 first impression: Sima Taparia’s ‘demanding’ clients still don’t want to ‘compromise’

If you’re reading this then you are no stranger to the world of Netflix’s Indian Matchmaking and like many others around the globe, you have been waiting for Sima Taparia’s new adventures. And this time too, ‘Sima Aunty’ does not disappoint. It would be reductive to call this show a ‘guilty pleasure’ as it casually glorifies toxic practices that Indians have been conditioned to follow for decades, even centuries. And judging by the first two episodes, Sima Taparia and her clients are still on the same path where people listing out what they want from a prospective spouse is seen as ‘demanding’ and trivial details like someone’s height and age are deal breakers.

There are a few old faces from the first season, and a few new entries, who definitely thought that ‘Sima Aunty’ would be the right matchmaker for them even though none of her matches from the first season actually worked out. One of these new faces is a man named Akshay who idolises Elon Musk and calls himself the “world’s most eligible bachelor”. Of course, we know that these shows are heavily edited and aren’t a true representation of one’s personality but judging by what Netflix chose to show us of Akshay, he is a man who calls women ‘chicks’ and thinks that the only reason he is single is because he lives in Nasik. So far, the editors of the show aren’t really helping his case but it’s too soon to tell if Akshay has any redeeming qualities.

The show also brings back two most loved contestants from the previous season – Nadia and Aparna. Nadia’s breakdown in the first season after she was ghosted was an emotional experience, even for reality show haters. So watching her soar this time around just makes you smile. There’s a new boy in her life but ‘Sima Aunty’ doesn’t approve because he is seven years younger than her. For ‘Sima Aunty’, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas are also not a good match because she looks “older”. I mean can someone tell her that there’s more to relationships than just being in the same age bracket?

Aparna, the woman from Houston who was considered bossy and demanding by Sima Taparia in the first season, is back too. Aparna was portrayed as the ‘difficult woman’ who is expecting too much out of a relationship and is not ready to settle for less. This time around, Aparna has broken up with ‘Sima Aunty’ and has found a Korean-American astrologer living in Hyderabad who is guiding her through her potential love story with a man she hasn’t even met yet. Aparna wants to be in love, and to find that love she has moved to New York City. She is an optimistic person who wants love, but is not ready to let go of her individuality and we’re hoping that the show doesn’t shame her for it, as it did in the last season.

The first season of Indian Matchmaking released soon after the lockdown hit in 2020 and when the entire world was starved for content, the show became the cringe watch that we couldn’t stop talking about. The second season follows the same path of pretending that these orthodox practices are somehow a part of ‘Indian culture’ and while we do live in a world where this is our reality, Indian Matchmaking should be consumed with a pinch of salt.