This show has been labeled many things, so I am going to give it a new one - masala reality. This is a reality show that has been carefully planned and heavily edited to be funny and heartwarming, with a good dose of drama and traditions.
So I really liked the show. Mainly because arranged marriage is an contentious topic and Indian society is such that everyone has very different ideas on how and what a marriage (arranged or not) should entail. And this opens into a myriad of discussion topics, which I love to jump into.
Sima and her cohort of advisors have a conservative perspective on marriage: arranged is better, marriage is between families not just the couple, the girl must adjust and be flexible and not so 'stubborn and obstinate', parent's requirements are also top priority, 'slim/trim, tall and fair' beauties are easier to match than the non photogenic prospects, and on and on..
Yes, in some ways marriage and family life is about compromise and adaptation, but your core values and beliefs should not change. A compromise should not change who you are. The show covered this in some way but they could have done a better job of making it clear.
Which brings me to my fav part of the show: the amazing, strong-minded modern women - every one of them. For all Sima's guidelines on what all the things the women needed to change about themselves, they threw that out of the window. They remained focused on what they believe is their true self: career, family and their knowledge of what makes them happy. Aparna has a high level of self-acknowledgement and was bold enough to be honest about her preferences. Ankita turned the traditional view of marriage on its head with "in marriage there are also I's", preferring to focus on her business. Nadia is currently the world's favorite bachelorette and was not embarrassed to mention her period on tv. Rupam came across as genuine and didn't let a failed relationship stop her from finding someone on her own.
Aside from Vyasar, the boys were such a let down. Vyasar is family oriented and knows how to make tea and sweep the kitchen. He comes across as funny and big hearted. Pradhyuman was boring AF. The most interesting things about him were his culinary presentations and his Instagram door handles. Akshay is an overindulged, subservient 25 year old Indian Oedipus complex that could not redeem himself despite given many opportunities.
Its interesting to note that 2 of the boys lived in India, came from well off families and they worked in the family busienss. For the show, one contributed his face and the other brought his mother's drama.
None of the characters stayed with their matches, even though the stars were aligned. This felt that young people are strong, independent, stubborn and obstinate enough to hold out for what they truly believe in, despite society and traditions telling them otherwise.
My takeaway was this show is a talking point on the importance that Indian society places on marriage and how things are changing. It's also a little sad to know that Mumbai, a progressive city in India, still has the outdated view of arranged marriage = (flexible girl + pampered boy) deadline driven parents or communities.
So I really liked the show. Mainly because arranged marriage is an contentious topic and Indian society is such that everyone has very different ideas on how and what a marriage (arranged or not) should entail. And this opens into a myriad of discussion topics, which I love to jump into.
Sima and her cohort of advisors have a conservative perspective on marriage: arranged is better, marriage is between families not just the couple, the girl must adjust and be flexible and not so 'stubborn and obstinate', parent's requirements are also top priority, 'slim/trim, tall and fair' beauties are easier to match than the non photogenic prospects, and on and on..
Yes, in some ways marriage and family life is about compromise and adaptation, but your core values and beliefs should not change. A compromise should not change who you are. The show covered this in some way but they could have done a better job of making it clear.
Which brings me to my fav part of the show: the amazing, strong-minded modern women - every one of them. For all Sima's guidelines on what all the things the women needed to change about themselves, they threw that out of the window. They remained focused on what they believe is their true self: career, family and their knowledge of what makes them happy. Aparna has a high level of self-acknowledgement and was bold enough to be honest about her preferences. Ankita turned the traditional view of marriage on its head with "in marriage there are also I's", preferring to focus on her business. Nadia is currently the world's favorite bachelorette and was not embarrassed to mention her period on tv. Rupam came across as genuine and didn't let a failed relationship stop her from finding someone on her own.
Aside from Vyasar, the boys were such a let down. Vyasar is family oriented and knows how to make tea and sweep the kitchen. He comes across as funny and big hearted. Pradhyuman was boring AF. The most interesting things about him were his culinary presentations and his Instagram door handles. Akshay is an overindulged, subservient 25 year old Indian Oedipus complex that could not redeem himself despite given many opportunities.
Its interesting to note that 2 of the boys lived in India, came from well off families and they worked in the family busienss. For the show, one contributed his face and the other brought his mother's drama.
None of the characters stayed with their matches, even though the stars were aligned. This felt that young people are strong, independent, stubborn and obstinate enough to hold out for what they truly believe in, despite society and traditions telling them otherwise.
My takeaway was this show is a talking point on the importance that Indian society places on marriage and how things are changing. It's also a little sad to know that Mumbai, a progressive city in India, still has the outdated view of arranged marriage = (flexible girl + pampered boy) deadline driven parents or communities.
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