Indian Matchmaking Season 3 Review: Sima Taparia's show continues to be an underwhelming cringe-binge fest that has nothing new to offer

2/5

Story: Matchmaker Sima Taparia is back with a fresh roster of clients and is busy jetsetting between the US and UK

Review: By now, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Netflix's popular series, Indian Matchmaking, a guilty pleasure of sorts. You know the show is loaded with cringe elements and regressive thoughts, but nevertheless, you end up watching it anyway. Matchmaker extraordinaire Sima Taparia is back with a bang with the third season along with a roster of her new elite clientele.

This time around, barring one client in Delhi,  Sima 'aunty' is living out of her suitcase as she shuttles between US and UK as she finds prospective matches for those who haven't really been lucky in the matters of heart and have chosen Sima 'aunty' as their last hope. Even as Sima aunty helps them 'find' love, she ensures that she is armed with her ghar ka khana wherever she goes as she doesn't want to miss out on her chai and poha.

Also Read: Indian Matchmaking season 3: Sima Taparia is back in business for 'shaadi season' 

Unlike the last season where too many clients caused a bit of a confusion, this time around the makers have stuck to a handful of them, with majority of them being Gujaratis from privileged castes. And it looks like Sima aunty is pretty happy with her non-diverse clientele and offers them matches from similar communities (Gujaratis from affluent castes), thus propagating casteism in disguise. It's no surprise that her disapproval is evident when one of her clients informs her that she has found love on her own, in a Pakistani Muslim. 

While ovo-lacto-semi-vegetarian Viral Joshi makes a comeback in the third season and it looks she has taken her relationship with Aashay to the next level, so is the ambitious Shital Patel, who was dating doctor Niraj Mehta. Are wedding bells around the corner?

Her new clients include the vivacious Priya who is a top-knot appreciator, the mathematics lover Bobby, who desperately wants to stop being friendzoned, Rushali (who went on a date with Pradhyuman in season 1), who is too scared to move away from her parents after her wedding, Vikash who wants to get married at the earliest as he is almost 40, Arti, who seeks a match with an edge and marketing professional Pavneet who wants a partner as tall as her.

Also Read:Indian Matchmaking Season 3 Trailer: Sima Taparia is back as a star matchmaker to deal with "difficult" clients 

While Sima aunty's matches work for some, some manage to find love on their own, and with one of them culminating in an engagement! And those who find love on their own, without the magic wand of Sima aunty, 'confess' that they could eventually find partners, because Sima auntly let things roll and they learnt their lesson!

And just like the previous seasons, Sima aunty has many gems up her sleeve! "You are marrying a person, not height" and "Matches are made in heaven not trends", to name a few. Sima advises her clients to go for prospective partners who match 60 to 70 per cent because they have to 'adjust' and 'compromise' when it comes to finding their matches.

The show also introduces us to the founders of South Asian dating apps, like Dil Mil and  Single Muslim. com. And obviously, the founders are single and Sima aunty promises to find them a match! The tarot card reader, face reader and relationship counsellor make an appearance, too.

Sima aunty also reminisces about the time when she got married in 1983 and we get to meet her family, including her daughters who seem to have gotten married off at the 'right age'. Because according to Sima aunty, once you are above 30, you are over the hill! Thankfully, she doesn't dole out too much advice to one of the divorced clients of hers to narrow down her choices.

Compared to the previous two seasons, season three seems to be more mellow down, which makes the experience less exciting. Somewhere it looks like Sima aunty has lost her chutzpah, making the experience an underwhelming one.

Verdict: An underwhelming cringe watch which continues to dole out regressive ideas