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Netflix's Indian Matchmaking is back with Season 2, which comprises eight episodes. Alongside three returning singles, the season features a whole bunch of new ones. 38-year-old Akshay Dhumal from Nashik is among the new singles this season.
Looking to find a bride and get settled, Akshay heads to Mumbai's famous matchmaker Sima Taparia. The Indian Matchmaking star changed her tagline from compromise to patience this season, and urged all singles to be patient when it came to finding their future partner.
Akshay hoped that Taparia would be able to help him find his happy-ever-after. The Indian Matchmaking star has a set of criteria he is looking out for in his future wife. However, Sima shuts it down, claiming that he wouldn't be able to find a woman who matches everything.
With Season 2 out now on Netflix, here's everything you need to know about Akshay.
Akshay from Indian Matchmaking runs his family business of poultry farming in Nashik
Before introducing himself, Akshay shared that he was a fighter inside and out. He added that he is currently the world's most eligible bachelor, and that his mom is on the same page. He graduated with an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.
The Indian Matchmaking star opened up about how he faced trouble in the dating world as he hailed from Nashik, India. He shared that since it was a small agricultural city far away from big cities, no one was willing to relocate there. Akshay added that he was in no position to relocate either because of his family business, which has been operating from Nashik for decades.
Akshay runs his father's poultry business. Their business was first established in 1979, and it was associated with injection molding at the time. They now manufacture various products, from heaters to watering systems and other commodities, that deal with poultry farming. He also shared that there are many things one can learn from animal behavior.
Akshay stated that he wanted an educated and well-rounded woman as his future partner
Akshay shared that he had used dating apps, but never found someone to get serious with. He further added that he would get 10-20 matches per day when he was in big cities like Mumbai, but the women would unmatch with him when they learnt he was from Nashik.
When Sima met Akshay and his parents, she asked the former what his criteria was when it came to finding the perfect bride, and he listed a few requirements. To begin with, his potential bride needed to have a good education. His mother added that she should understand the day-to-day activities of the factory.
The Indian Matchmaking star also remarked that his future bride should be open to starting a family and that she should also have a well-rounded personality. The most important thing that he was looking for in his bride was willingness to put an equal amount of work into the relationship as him.
Akshay's prior engagement did not work out because of irreconcilable differences
After meeting up with Akshay, Sima took his picture to a face reader she consulted for all her clients. Though he had nice things to say about Akshay's future, he did hint that something was wrong. He spoke about something bad that had happened in Akshay's past, creating a bad omen which was still hovering over him.
Prior to meeting with the face reader, Sima set Akshay up on a date with a woman named Devika, who was open to the idea of moving to Nashik. An entrepreneur, Devika is a fashion designer who uses handloom textiles to reduce her carbon footprint. Although their meeting was off to a positive start, Akshay shared that she radiated an aura of friendship and not romance.
When Akshay told Sima that he didn't share any chemistry with Devika, the latter told him that it would take time. She added that he should meet her again, but he wasn't interested. That's when she broke the news about the bad omen hovering around him.
Akshay immediately realized that she was hinting towards a prior broken engagement that not many knew about. He invited two of his close friends over and had a conversation about it with them.
The Indian Matchmaking star opened up about meeting a girl while he was studying in the U.S. and stated that they had been quite serious. Although she had a high-paying job, she was willing to settle down in Nashik and get married to him. However, her family was quite skeptical about the marriage and weren't supportive of their daughter settling down in a small city.
Akshay shared that she had been willing to marry him despite her parents' disapproval, but Akshay wasn't in favor of that. He didn't want to go against her parents and called off the wedding.
Did Akshay find his happily-ever-after?
After talking to Sima, Akshay decided to take the spiritual route and do a proper puja (ritual) to get rid of the 'Vivah Bandhan dosh' (a bad omen because of his horoscope). Although he wasn't very spiritual, he participated in it due to Sima's insistence.
After the puja, he said that he felt good, but the omen had not been keeping him from getting married.
The Indian Matchmaking star shared:
"I feel that, you know, I want to get married, so I’m going to get married for sure. When you start believing in something, avenues open up. I’m hopeful of meeting some really nice people."
Akshay went on to add that he was now sure he would get married, not because of the puja, but because he had now made up his mind.
Indian Matchmaking Season 2 is streaming only on Netflix.
