This week, lockdown binge-watch sessions found a new match in Netflix’s Indian Matchmaking. The latest in the network’s diverse offerings of reality shows, Indian Matchmaking introduces dating with a difference. The show, which follows popular Mumbai matchmaker Sima Taparia on her quest as Cupid for India’s rich and (soon-to-be) famous, has been met with both praise and disapproval. Although the praise is largely based on the show’s cringe factor, the criticism is far more interesting. Now, many viewers are accusing the reality docu-series of being outright fake.

On Indian Matchmaking, Sima mami from Mumbai” meets the families of her clients across major cities in India and the USA, showcasing her artful ways of matchmaking. Dating apps take a backseat for arranged marriage as lonesome singles search for a compatible match, preferably someone who’s “slim, trim, and fair.” The cast members meet one potential match after another, as Taparia continues to find faults in their behavior in a confessional. A few singles do end up meeting people who they gush about to the camera, but these relationships have evidently have not blossomed into “the one.”

Related: How Indian Matchmaking Creator Smriti Mundra Matched With Sima Taparia

Several publications, including the LA Times, have reported that none of the Indian Matchmaking couples are still together. No, not even mommy’s boy Akshay, who had his “roka" – a pre-engagement ceremony –pompously displayed on the show. The news caused quite a lot of fans to question the show’s realness. Nadia and Vinay, who seem like a great couple, fall out as the latter ghosts her twice. Vinay, who quickly gained fame as Indian Matchmaking’s bad boy, posted on his Instagram claiming that he was the one who was ghosted. The New City resident added that a couple of scenes, including the second ghosting, were staged and not even a part of his storyline. While fans awaited Vinay's receipts, Guru, another of Nadia’s suitors, claimed his date was misinterpreted and shared that the two had a conversation before the events seen on the show that was seemingly edited out.

If one begins to analyze the show and its concept of arranged marriage, it’s oddly offensive the way topics about colorism and sexism are spoken about casually. Families repeatedly demand slim and fair spouses for their children, and Akshay wants his potential wife to be a stay at home mom. Many fans have also pointed out how the show plays like a mockumentary, with the “first meetings” looking very staged. After all, it doesn’t seem the singles had a camera following them wherever they went. The dates also look directed and pre-planned. Nadia’s match Ravi Guru confessed that the crew paid for their brunch and asked them to order whatever they wanted. He even shared on an IGTV that Nadia not knowing about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during the date was a deal-breaker, but it was edited out of the series. The families appear t00 confident on-screen, displaying no hesitation while facing a camera for the first time and reciting dialogues that could be rehearsed.

akshay: Indian Matchmaking Netflix

None of the matches seeing success is also a major giveaway of the genuineness of Indian Matchmaking. Sima Taparia is a well-known matchmaker in India and abroad, and her matches not coming to fruition sounds particularly sketchy. This could hint at the families on the show not being her clients at all, but simply people sourced by the team in auditions. Some cast members, especially ones like Akshay and his mother, fulfill stereotypical roles that seem to have been penned down just for the sake of drama. Instances of her blood pressure going higher or her being obsessively worried about her son's marriage at 25 are smart probes to earn social media traction.

Dating reality shows like 90 Day Fiancé and Love Is Blind always garner criticism over whether they're scripted or not. But with a show like Indian Matchmaking that wants to shine a light on culture, the revelation that it's all fake should certainly raise alarms.

Next: 90 Day Fiancé: Avery Warner Claims Only 5% Of The Real Story Is Shown On The Show

All episodes of Indian Matchmaking are now available to stream on Netflix.

Source: LA Times