After a successful first season, Indian Matchmaking returned for a second season that dropped on Netflix in August. This season catches up with a few familiar faces from the first season, including the picky Pradyhuman, who found someone to marry. The show covers his spectacular wedding as well as more of matchmaker Sima Taparia trying to place singles into pairs.
Season two is another fascinating exploration of how the traditional practice of matchmaking and arranged marriages work in a world of dating apps, unlimited swipes and FOMO. Some singles Sima Auntie sets up are more likable than others.
Vinesh
Vinesh is by far the most unlikable personality on this season based on what audiences are shown. The way he talks about women is disrespectful, out of touch and doesn't line up with anything he says he is ready for.
Many people on reality dating shows are focused on physical attributes, and Vinesh is one of them. Luckily, this show has Sima Auntie to remind people like Vinesh that the physical attraction is only one layer of a relationship, and one that can grow with time and the presence of other layers.
Akshay
Poor, sweet Akshay seems to mean well, and it may be down to the edit he got on the show, but he looks incredibly silly. His obsession with chickens is the main narrative of his storyline, followed closely by how much he loves his mother and wants his partner to resemble her in many ways.
He seems focused on women from certain areas instead of looking closer to home. He'd be asking a woman to move to for him, which seems like a big ask based on how Sima Auntie talks about it. She even implies that if Akshay were Nick Jonas, his wife, actress Priyanka Chopra would not make the move to the chicken farm. He's likable enough, but his scenes tend to be cringey.
Viral
Viral is an incredibly headstrong, smart woman who knows what she wants, which not everybody can take. On this Netflix reality show, she seems pickier than she probably is in real life. Her list of requirements was extensive and specific to her, but she seems to lighten up on the details when she enjoys her time with someone.
The biggest issue with Viral during the season that makes her harder to sympathize with is when she has a talk with Jaymin about his pictures. It was super unnecessary and came off too harsh and judgemental.
Viral
On a date with his name twin, other Viral really stood out. He comes ready to impress and speak Gujarati, he goes along with Viral's strange idea of a first date, and he seems to be a good conversationalist.
He even manages to get through the strange interaction in which Viral will not tell him outright if she is vegetarian or not, which resulted in her ridiculous answer becoming the title of the episode. This Viral seems really easy to get along with.
Nadia
One of the singles that season two picks back up with from the premiere season is Nadia. While she has a tumultuous ride this season, she is ultimately sweet, caring and likable onscreen.
She made some mistakes this season in how she treated Shekhar, but she ultimately had to pay a similar price when Vishal let her go. At the end of the day, she has every right to walk away for something she didn't feel valued in, and hopefully the right match is coming her way eventually.
Aparna
Aparna has had an attitude glow up since being unpopular on the Netflix reality show's first season. The difference makes her endearing, and it's natural to mentally compare her to where her story left off in the first season. While she is an acquired taste, she's ultimately harmless and trying to live her best life.
It seems like the pandemic gave her a lot of time to reflect on other areas of her life, focus on creating her own happiness, and take pressure off of herself while doing so. Season two Aparna is much lighter and brighter and seems open to all kinds of possibilities. Plus, she didn't care about humor last season, and now she seems to have found her own. She's hilarious!
Shital
Shital is a new face for season two, and she's not on the show a great deal, but when she is, she seems like a hardworking, sweet person who is more than ready for love.
She's incredibly vulnerable speaking about her age and her desire to have a family and how it feels to be at this stage of the process still looking for someone, and taking steps like freezing her eggs. It's a common narrative for women and one that's important to speak about openly, which Shital did with grace.
Jaymin
One of the most awkward scenes in season two is when Viral and Jaymin are on a date, and she addresses him about his biodata picture not looking enough like him in real life. Fans all over the internet are disagreeing with her and saying she was wrong both to think so and to say something about it.
Jaymin gets all the brownie points for being a sweetheart the entire data. He seems like a gentle soul who is ready to be an incredible partner, and he even treated Viral with respect while she was subtly coming after him.
Shekhar
Shekhar is another single from season one that made the second season of Indian Matchmaking a highly anticipated Netflix show return, based on where his and Nadia's love story left off. He gets more likability points for how he handled hardship this season. He seemed off to a great start really charming Nadia's family and seemingly keeping up with everyone like a champ.
Clearly Nadia felt like something was off, and Shekhar had to witness her kiss someone else at a group gathering before ultimately letting him go. He discussed it with her and was articulate about his feelings without tearing her down. He seems like an all-around really likable guy.
Arshneel
As the fan favorite this season, Arshneel stole everyone's hearts. Who wouldn't adore a Taco Bell-loving doctor who is self-aware enough to know that should be an oxymoron?
He is ionate about his traditions, wears his heart on his sleeve, and keeps a "Will You Marry Me?" hot sauce packet on hand just in case he finds the right one who shares his obsession with fast food burritos. He is pleasant through and through, seems ready for love, and is an absolute joy to watch any time he's onscreen.