By Christina Paul
“That’s why I love reality TV – it’s funny, dramatic and I can focus on it. It’s pure, effortless entertainment. I wanna lay down one moment and then look around the next and realise I have watched 22 straight hours of Love Island over a two-day period and yearn for more.” -Rue, Euphoria
Indian Matchmaking is a Netflix Special series in which Sima Taparia, an elite matchmaker in Mumbai, matches two individuals with the hopes that their meeting would end in matrimony. The show claims to be a documentary, with real individuals and their families navigating their way through a white-washed version of the process of arranged marriage. The truth however, is that it is nothing more than a glorified reality show, a desi ‘Love is Blind’ or a sanskari ‘Bachelor’. In fact, when I first saw the show, I found myself drawing parallels between it and the very popular Indian reality show, "Bigg Boss". Those that were the victims of Taparia’s matchmaking seemed like the willingly captive contestants of the reality show, while Taparia herself felt like the puppet master, the one pulling all the strings, the Bigg Boss of this world. Both shows are a testament to how tedious and monotonous scenes(in this case, the entire process of matchmaking) can be made entertaining with the right direction. Individuals like Pradhyuman Maloo and Akshay Jakhete, who seemed to have bland personalities, perhaps were the most amusing personas on the show, all due to Smriti Mundhra’s storytelling capabilities.
The show in itself is one that’s incredibly complex. If I were to review merely whether the show was a ‘good’ or a ‘bad’ one, I would be scratching the surface.
Unlike other reality shows, Indian Matchmaking is a mirror held up to society, reflecting sheer decadence.
Each person who approaches Taparia to find their lifelong partner is unique- unique in the treatment they receive from Taparia, unique in the response they receive from the public. Our own intrinsic follies as individuals or households can be represented through each person on the show, each family.
What’s interesting about the show is that each person belongs to an extremely well-to-do family, as is depicted by their lavish lifestyles (and the nitrogen-filled fox nuts). In a society where we blame issues such as casteism and colourism on lack of education and low-income conditions, it is ironic seeing these wealthy, educated, perhaps millionaires, behaving no differently. While the show has been criticized for romanticising these issues, instead of condemning them, Mundhra states that she did not wish to condone or condemn anything. She merely wanted to place the mirror; what we saw in the mirror, she did not wish to influence. What’s also interesting is that though the show does bring about Guyanese representation when Nadia Jagessar enters the picture, that is the extent of representation or diversity.
For a show that claims to be ‘Indian’, representation of religious groups other than Hindus, or even other income or caste groups, is nil. In fact, one could go as far as renaming the show as Crazy Rich Hindus.
While we are quick to judge the show, point out everything wrong in every statement, we tend to overlook the fact that we watched the entirety of the show in the first place. Some of us watched it in one sitting. Despite its flaws, albeit major, the show does not disappoint. The cinematography is sublime, making it difficult to differentiate between Mumbai and Manhattan. Some creative choices like the score and soundtrack definitely add to the entertainment value. A particular instance of this is when Aparna Shewakramani (someone who the show tries to portray as a negative, headstrong, and villainous character) walks her dog, and the music in the background is hardcore hip-hop, the kind that evokes the same feeling when Joker appears in The Dark Night Rises.
Personally, I felt the show followed the ‘So Bad It's Good’ trope where I seemed to find hilarity in the most pretentious and cringe-worthy scenes. Whether the inclusion of these bizarre and awkward scenes, that became the pinnacle of comedy in this show, were intentional or not, is unknown. I’d like to believe that the editors realised the show wasn’t
particularly Emmy-nomination material and decided to have some fun with it, to have the last laugh. This is not to say the show is bereft of genuine and vulnerable moments entirely. It is through this show that Vyasar Ganesan opens up to the world about his past while Ankita Bansal discovers herself and faces her insecurities. These small moments of unfiltered honesty make the show much more dimensional and realistic, without coming off as overbearing. Overall, the creators have a good sense of what audiences want to watch, whether the latter admit it or not.
Now coming to the crux of the matter. Is Indian Matchmaking a brilliant
show? No. Is it watchable? Yes. Is it entertaining? Of course. This show is no Queer Eye. It does not motivate, inspire, educate, or empower. It does however, make you cringe, sometimes laugh (especially at some of the statements Akshay’s mother, Preethi, makes), and most importantly, waste 4 hours watching it before your Mathematics Exam because it is indeed addictive. The show is expensive, catering to the NRI, soap opera: overtly dramatic and thoroughly entertaining. It is binge-able, to say the least. I give Indian Matchmaking a 6/10, one point for each word of the quote that formed the basis of this show:
“I am Sima mami from Mumbai.”
NOTE: If you were wondering why I didn't dissect each cast member's statements, make fun of Akshay or ridicule Pradhyuman or mock Sima aunty, it's because each of these individuals are not characters played by actors, they are real-life people. These real-life people who have been subjected to such a high level of judgement that no one should be subjected to unless they are in court, for a crime they committed. Thus, I've focused only on the creation and criticism of the show as a whole. However, if you must know, my top three cast members were Vyasar, Ankita, and Aparna, even though Akshay was the most amusing :)
Comments