Vidya B

It would seem as though the plot is set in the 60s or 70s but no don't be surprised. Do youngsters today get married right after they finish college? The story could have done with some elements of modernity instead of portraying the tamil brahmin household that existed only before the 90s. And the film tends to put you to sleep after a while. Nothing interesting.

I enjoyed the first 2 seasons, but the 3rd season kind of let me down what with portraying the Emily character as rather selfish, be it choosing the ever-rude Sylvie over her mentor Madeline or trying to win Alfie back with her theatrics once she knew Gabriel wasn't available.

Going by the reviews, I never really wanted to watch this show. But curiosity got the better of me and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this show didn't dwell a lot on the usual Indian matrimonial aspects such as caste, creed, skin color or social status, although there was some mention of the same in a few instances. Most of the characters seemed to be progressive except for a few like Akshay's mom, Rupam's dad and of course the matchmaker Sima herself. My favorites were Rupam and Vyasar. Rupam has this very warm and radiant personality and I am glad she found someone on her own. The scenes involving the friends of the guy or the girl didn't seem natural. Probably because of the fact that they were on camera. And I believe some of the scenes were staged. For example, the face reader describing the person by just looking at the photo and Akshay's engagement (did anyone notice that his brother and sister-in-law weren't part of it?).

The worst thing about this show is its take on Indian sexism and stereotypes. I just can't believe how regressed the character of Devi's mom is. She evens goes to the extent of glorifying patriarchy by telling her niece Kamala "They (the boy's parents) don't need to know that you are a career-oriented woman. All they need to know is that you can cook, clean and cater to their son's needs". Seriously? An Indian-American woman with a successful career can say such things? I have seen single moms in India who are way cooler and more progressive than her. This show is definitely giving the audience a biased, stereotyped picture of the Indian society.

Nothing new or refreshing about this movie. The same old emotional love drama albeit with some elements of modernity. Don't be surprised if you doze off during the second half.