Is it just me, or is everyone on Indian Matchmaking Season 3 more relatable?

I may be a little late to the game, considering that the third season of Indian Matchmaking has been out for a couple of weeks. But hey, sometimes good things take time before materialising.

Read also: I cannot stand Indian Matchmaking...and I simply CANNOT WAIT for Season 3 

Anyway, let’s get back to the point: something feels different about the third season of Sima Aunty’s show, and I say that in a positive way. Or perhaps I have just gotten used to and accepted Sima Taparia’s mysterious ways.

The first two seasons of the show were undoubtedly cringefests. Yes, in Season 3, the dominant word being thrown around to every aspiring bride and groom is still "compromise", as in "Thoda compromise to karna hi padega", and that "No one gets 100%. You have to be happy with 60%-70%".

Yes, Sima from Mumbai, we get it, and you know, despite the flak that she’s received, she isn’t wrong for stating these rather obvious facts. I mean, just look at your partner — really look at them — and you’ll have to agree that they don’t tick every box on your ‘ideal partner’ checklist.

What seems more real (if I dare use that word) about the third season is that the people who feature in it are way more relatable than those from previous seasons, even though many of them have appeared earlier as well.

For instance, Viral and Aashay's romance has a genuine, real-world feel to it. When she travels to India to meet Aashay’s parents, you can sense and connect with the butterflies in her stomach and really empathise with her.

Of course, I couldn’t relate to Aashay asking Viral a month before leaving for India to join him if she has "nothing else to do", because IRL, for an Indian, planning a trip like that would take anything between 6 months and a year, or perhaps even longer.

But Viral’s nervousness on the car drive towards Aashay’s house and the awkward conversation she had with his parents sure did remind me of the first time I met my husband’s parents.

Whether they eventually end up together or not is a different story altogether.

And it’s not just them. Let’s shift focus to Bobby Seagull, the sweet and always positive teacher who constantly gets friendzoned. It’s safe to say that most of us know a Bobby whose biggest problem (unfortunately) is that he or she is just way too nice.

Or Vikash, who, despite not being the most attractive man in any room, wants a woman who deserves to be on the front page of a magazine. It is nice, however, to see Sima school him on his unrealistic expectations and to witness sparks flying between him and Janki.

Priya may seem choosy, but her reasons for not choosing Bobby and Jai are justified, and you can’t help but root for her. And can anyone really blame her for being careful, considering that, as a divorcee, she is once bitten, twice shy?

And then there's Pavneet, the perfect representation of modern India. She's succesful, ambitious, loves going on solo trips, and doesn't take sh*t from a man. She's 30 and single, and has absolutely no qualms about being who she is, not ready to "settle". And what's more, she has the backing of her parents to be exactly who she is.

So, do I recommend you watch Season 3 of Indian Matchmaking? If you’ve watched the first two seasons, I have little doubt that you’ve already watched the third season.

But if, for some strange reason, you haven’t watched the show at all, go ahead and try it out. You may not like it and may have some choice words for me for recommending it, but you will undoubtedly be entertained.

Read also: Indian Matchmaking creator on the awkward, cringey, frustrating parts of the show