Indian Matchmaking S2 Review: Sima Aunty’s ‘matchmaking wand’ hardly casts any magical spell

Show Name: Indian Matchmaking Season 2

Platform: Netflix

Rating: 2.5 

Indian Matchmaking Season 1 received mixed reviews when it hit the OTT screens back in 2020. A few could relate to the reality series, while many called out the show for its regressive dialogues, concept and content. Well, it won’t be wrong if we say that ‘history’ has been repeated with the Season 2 of the show.

To begin with, let us tell you of all the non-fictional characters retained from Season 1 to 2. So we have Aparna, Nadia, and Pradhyuman from the first season set to experience their love and arrange marital setup, yet again! And of course, Sima Taparia aka Sima Aunty. She is basically all our nosy neighbourhood aunties subtly put together in one! So Mrs. Taparia is yet again on a mission to fix matches of adults. While Aparna is no longer a client of Taparia, she continues to be a part of the show. Though not the most liked character back in S1, the lawyer-turned-author very well knows that her stubborn and quite aggressive personality is pretty sellable; to be honest, it did wonders for season 1 of the show.

Sima Aunty, busy as a bee yet again with her completely new roster of elite and bigshot clientele, is trying hard to convince each of them to cut short their partner preferences! I mean she literally kickstarts her meetings with the would-be bride or groom who are all excited for their intense spouse hunt, with a thanda vibe! “Sab kuch nahi milega!” “Don’t be so superficial”, “Thoda compromise karna toh padta hai”, undoubtedly are Sima Aunty’s favourite “golden words”.

The show somehow continues to be regressive, a little toxic, and how! Unlikeable not just on Mrs. Taparia’s part, but at times even certain characters and their approach towards marriage, lack of decision-making, misleading the prospect, self-(over) obsession is annoying! Before you jump the gun, yes, self-obsession and self-love are probably the best forms of love ever, but there’s a thin line between “loving yourself” and “ONLY” loving yourself! So if you are calling out Sima Aunty for being regressive, clients on the show with a trashy mindset towards others for no reason should also be called out for being toxic!

Talking of the show, this season Sima Aunty apart from the old also has a new client list. Akshay Dhumal, a businessman from Nashik, Vishal from the US, Viral Joshi, is a headstrong woman who has a fierce personality strikingly similar to that of Aparna, Shital, Vinesh and Arshneel are all based out of the US. Nadia, the Guyanese-American whom we loved in S1 for her chirpiness and for being beautiful inside out, is quite a shocker in S2. 

The girl who was pretty vocal about crushing on Chicago-based lawyer Shekhar (one of the most loved characters from S1), even invited him over to meet her extended family. But looks like destiny had other plans! So Nadia had thrown a party in the US for Sima Aunty and all of her new and old clients. That’s when she encountered Vishal, a cute boy, seven years younger than Nadia! Almost overnight, Nadia’s feelings and attraction for Shekhar could be seen fading away just to make way for Vishal in her life. Nadia was seen discussing this with Sima who advised her against going ahead with Vishal. Taparia while convincing Nadia, also went to an extent of calling Bollywood-Hollywood star Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’ pairing to be odd considering the star couple’s age gap.

After all of Sima’s efforts go in vain, she asks Nadia to at least inform Shekhar about her decision and feelings for Vishal, and burst his dream bubble! Shekhar who seems to be romantically attached to Nadia is heartbroken upon learning of her feelings for Vishal and reveals that it was extremely tough for him to see her kiss Vishal right in front of his eyes. It breaks to see a thorough gentleman like Shekhar break down in tears! While I understand it’s an individual choice and all that, seriously- what a loss, Nadia! Sadly, a few weeks later Nadia faces rejection from Vishal with whom she was then romantically attached! Hard Luck!

Talking about other characters, Aparna unlike S1 is not just about herself and has toned down her arrogance a lot! She comes across as even more poised and a lot calmer. Though not Sima’s client anymore, Aparna still gets a lot of spice and great content to the table. The 39-year-old Akshay Dhumal has been failing in finding the right partner for himself. Sima Aunty seeks help from her astrologer who informs her of a Vivah Dosha in his life. He suggests a pooja be done to fight off the Dosha.

Shital is a beautiful and fierce woman, who lives life on her terms and wants to marry at the earliest because she feels her growing age can minimise the chances of her having children naturally. Shital sans Sima’s help successfully manages in finding a partner of her own. Next, a cardiologist by profession and dancer by passion, Arshneel Kochar based out of Cleveland, has only dated Indian-American women as he felt that Indian women were a little regressive! Vinesh, on the other hand, expresses his desire of wanting a wife who can ace at making pakoras just like his mother!

I found S1 a tad better in terms of Sima’s client list and also how their individual stories were weaved. S2, to me, felt a little more chaotic and no story was pretty clear as compared to those of S1. We totally missed S1’s Vyasar, Ankita- their maturity and sensibility!

Just like S1, Indian Matchmaking Season 2 also fails to see Sima Taparia’s matchmaking magic! But yes, the good part is that this season comprises a big fat Indian wedding of Pradhyuman and his gorgeous wife Ashima. Pradhyuman, who had tested Sima Aunty’s patience in S1 after rejecting 150 proposals, finally found his partner in Ashima- letting Sima sigh of relief! The grand wedding set up in Udaipur was all things royal and EXPENSIVE!

Wishing good luck to all those who found partners and also to those who are yet to find the love of their lives. Keep trying with or without Sima Aunty!

Also Read|Indian Matchmaking’s Sima Taparia says Priyanka Chopra & Nick Jonas aren’t a good fit: He looks small & petite