In the summer of 2020, even as the pandemic lay waste to the box office, a low-key series on Netflix was gradually grabbing headlines around the world over its seemingly archaic way of matchmaking.
‘Indian Matchmaking’, which introduced the world to its matriarch Sima Taparia, will be returning for a second season on the streamer on August 10 with new couples, brokered love stories and a few familiar faces.
The Mumbai-based matrimonial agent will work with millennials around the globe in an attempt to broker their happily ever afters through the art of matchmaking, using age old traditional methods that have drawn chatter and, sometimes, sharp criticism from people on social media who have labelled the attempts misogynistic and favouring the patriarchy.
The eight-episode second season will feature hour-long episodes, with Taparia guiding carefully selected singles across first encounters and family meetings in an attempt to find true love.
Speaking to Variety, Taparia spoke about the media attention she has gained through the Netflix series. “The love I’ve gotten from the fans of the show has been wonderful. Matchmaking is my passion, and it’s a joy to share my work with audiences around the world,” Taparia said.
Academy Award nominee Smriti Mundhra, creator and executive producer of the series, added: “The response to Season 1 of ‘Indian Matchmaking’ was overwhelming, and we’re thrilled to be back with more episodes that explore the rollercoaster of emotions and tough conversations on the journey to finding love.”
Details about the new clients to feature on season two of ‘Indian Matchmaking’ have yet to be announced, however, stills from the series do feature the former Dubai-resident Aparna Shewakramani, who also confirmed on her personal Instagram that she is returning.
Also seemingly returning is crowd favourite from season one, Nadia Jagessar who has yet to find her happy ending going by an Instagram video posted five weeks ago where she was still looking for a husband.
While it is unclear how the candidates were selected for this season, in August 2021, Netflix had put out a casting call for fans above the age of 18 to send in a one-minute video on why they should feature on several of their reality shows, including ‘Indian Matchmaking’, which was open to people based in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland.
Season one of ‘Indian Matchmaking’ was even nominated for an Emmy last year in the Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program category. In March, Netflix also announced that the franchise is expanding with a new series, ‘Jewish Matchmaking’ coming soon. The spin-off will follow singles based in America and Israel.
