Netflix's Indian Matchmaking was a trip around the world, following a group of eligible singles embarking on a journey to the mandap (a traditional Indian wedding alter) with the help of top Indian Matchmaker Sima Taparia.
This compelling concept redefined the typical dating reality show by inadvertently shedding light on some of the realities and societal pressures that come with South Asian arranged marriages and traditional matchmaking in a modern world.
Though the series wrapped, Sima's work is never over. "Business is booming!" she told NBC Asian America. "With or without pandemic, people are still searching for life partners and I'm working hard for my clients. Weddings may be delayed, but matchmaking is as busy as ever."
So where did Ankita Bansal, the modern business woman, end up after having met not one, but two, matchmakers? Did Akshay Jakhete finally get married and, more importantly, how is his mother's blood pressure? How did Rashi Gupta take the news of Vyasar Ganesan's dark family secret?
It's all been covered: Netflix India released a bonus episode, hosted by Dolly Singh, with fresh cast updates. E! breaks down the latest from your favorites below.
There was Akshay Jakhete and then there was his mother, who blamed her rising blood pressure on Akshay's slow journey to marriage. Akshay did get engaged to Radhika but shared in the bonus episode that after many sleepless nights, he realized he just couldn't marry her, which really did come as a shock to fans.
However, Akshay is feeling lighter post split. "I feel really good," he told host Dolly Singh. "Since the day I opened up and told my parents about it, it's like a whole burden coming out of me. I feel so free."
Throughout the series, Aparna Shewakramani was always a woman who made it clear she knew exactly what she wanted—and what she didn't want. She unapologetically spoke her mind and followed her gut, which at times led to some tension with Sima Taparia. In the bonus episode, Aparna shared that she's still single, despite what looked like a promising first date with Jay.
"Jay and I are still friends," Aparna said. "We did not ever start any relationship together...The men I went on dates with are who I really call my friends today. And for me, that's so special because we got to walk away with these friendships and that's priceless."
What's more shocking: Pradhyuman Maloo rejecting over 150 options of biodata—think of it as a resume of information like height and weight—or his obsession for fox nuts, the smoky snack that went viral. Either way, viewers were glued to the TV during his search for love. And while his horseback riding date with model Rushali Rai seemed like it was straight out of a fairytale, the stars just did not align for those two.
"We did speak after that as well," Pradhyuman revealed. "But later, both of us realized we're at different stages in our life...I was looking down to settle down a little bit and we had differences in terms of distance."
When audiences last saw Vyasar Ganesan, the quirky Texas teacher was hopeful about his future with Rashi Gupta. But toward the series' end, Vyasar revealed his family's seemingly dark secret: His father had a troubled past and had been incarcerated. Though he told Singh the news "wasn't a factor for Rashi," Vyasar shared that their coupling ultimately just didn't work out.
"Rashi has never had a serious relationship before and a lot of this was overwhelming for her," he said. "We both still have a lot of growing up to do in different ways."
Though Ankita Bansal met with two matchmakers, she refused to compromise her modern values and thriving apparel business. It was a journey that sparked a larger conversation about the realities of traditional South Asian arranged marriages. "Everyone walks up to me and says the show is so regressive," Ankita said. "My only comment to them is, 'Yes, it's extremely regressive but it's also the reality of our society.'"
While still single, she admitted she'd consider receiving new matches from Sima: "If they fit my non-tradition, modern values then yeah, definitely."
Nadia Jagessar's story is one that a lot of women can unfortunately relate to: She was ghosted by Vinay Chadha. However, her romantic life seemed to turn around after her date with Shaker in Chicago.
Alas, it was short-lived. "We are not in touch anymore," Nadia revealed. "Shortly after the filming ended, we did talk and date for a little while but the stars were not aligned. It was one of the best dates that I've ever had. It was great and he's a great guy."
If Indian Matchmaking had a villain, it would be Vinay, who left Nadia high and dry on date where she planned to introduce him to her friends. However, during the bonus episode, he tried to make his case. "There's obviously two sides to every single story and I definitely made some mistakes, but I'll own up to any single mistake I make," he said. "All I'll say is that there's two sides to every story...try to make sure you listen to both sides before judging."
While he truly doesn't believe that he ghosted Nadia, he admitted, "I did mess up, I owned it."