DISCLAIMER: As someone who is in a relationship with a beautiful Bengali and who has travelled to, and embraced the Indian Subcontinent over 30 times (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) I understand the realities facing young people in this culture however…

Indian Matchmaking on Netflix. A worrying eye-opener.

I was coerced into watching something totally different that I’d usually steer well clear of. The Indian culture is a vivid tapestry of life. For people in their early to mid 20’s I know the ridiculous pressures they face to get married and how it weighs heavy on the heads when they are more than comfortable being a singleton or having an adventure. More than anything, this show exposes the ever growing chasm between young people, religion and cultural traditions in the region.

Characters (if I’m allowed to call subjects of real life situations as such) range from the completely annoying to the pathetic but, there are enough ‘good people’ to root for that you feel compelled to complete the full ten episode arc; if only to delve into the mindsets of the mentally unhinged parents who foist marriage onto people who clearly don’t want it, and then have the tenacity to cite their child’s flaws as a reason for its failure!

It’s not all doom and gloom, the series also explores companionship and loneliness but nonetheless, it hasn’t changed my opinion that getting married to someone you barely know isn’t the best tonic for such an affliction! Obviously, not all the participants on the show are nutjobs, I found myself genuinely pleased for a few of the people who had real motives for wanting to settle down.

Too ‘PG’ to be a complete car crash but touches topics that take an open minded (and perhaps culturally aware person) to engage with. Better than most ‘reality’ programmes and a pretty decent hangover watch (if your head doesn’t explode in anger at Akshay and his sociopathic mother)

Rating: 7.5/10

Viewed: July 2020