Indian Matchmaking: An Appalled 25 Year Old’s Reaction To The Show

Marriages are made in heaven but if Netflix’s Sima Aunty is approached, marriages can be made in any part of the world. She travels far and wide to help people find their soulmates. While the show is a guilty pleasure for most of us, we cannot ignore how deep-rooted the problem is with arranged marriages like these.

I could be her prospective client for I am a 25-year-old modern Indian woman who would like to settle down if I find the right man. Yes, I do have criterias in my list that I would like fulfilled in my better half, I do not wish to compromise a genuine connection just because he doesn’t fit my height requirements.

The show is bizarre, let’s be honest. The thought that people can be so superficial when it comes to finding a partner is not easily digestible in this time and age. I genuinely felt that we had moved far away from the Matrimonial columns that used to exist. But I was wrong, the newspaper ad has become a Netflix show that’s glorifying the idea of rejecting someone just because they have an “accent”. Are these your requirements for a partner for life?

The show revolves around a bunch of men and women who are so delusional that they can’t see their own flaws but are so quick to judge the options that they are brought by Sima Aunty. And like the ‘aunty’ she is, she asks everyone to adjust, compromise and settle. I somehow don’t blame her, she can see through these people like a glass wall. She knows their options are limited because they are fussy and regard themselves as a ‘catch’. Regardless, she tries her best to bring them people that don’t match their list of requirements. It’s hilarious. Sima Aunty, we see you.

If she were to do a stand-up special, I would give a million bucks to watch her spill the beans on what goes behind the scenes.

It also brings out the harsh reality of how tough it is to find the “Mr or Ms Right”. Some are lucky to find love at the right time in their life, for others, is this their only fallback option? Someone please tell me that there is hope, that connections can be formed organically and not via a ‘Matchmaker’ that hasn’t updated their system in the last 50 years. Shows like these need to be critically assessed for what they are trying to promote, instead of empowering women, they are trying to get them to “settle”. Instead of asking someone to lower their expectations, let’s prioritise. The process can be overwhelming, it is a matter of your entire life, but let’s remember that we are all humans. We are flawed, imperfect but special in our own way. We all have quirks that deserve to be understood and loved. Find someone perfectly imperfect like you, cause perfect is overrated.