In the recent film
Varane Avashyamund
, Kalyani Priyadarshan’s character Nikki is hellbent on finding her life partner only through an
arranged marriage
, and hence is constantly on the lookout for prospective grooms in
matrimony sites
. And to know the person better, she meets them for coffee dates.
While some youngsters may scorn at the concept of having a stranger for life partner, the new features that such sites offer — including filters to select prospective brides or grooms depending on your criteria and chatting to get to know the person better — all this with the blessings of the parents, have made the phenomenon of ‘
arranged dating
’ a hit with many, these days. In fact, it has become an obsession, if not a hobby, for a lot of youngsters to check out the most eligible stranger.
Though in the film, Nikki was alone in her mission, what makes the arranged dating “exciting” for many in real life is that the family plays a big role in getting people to “hook up” with prospective partners.
Actor Aneesh G Menon, who found his “soulmate” Aishwarya Rajan through a matrimony site, says he was tired looking at profiles that his brother has shortlisted for him. “The filters on matrimony sites made it easier for me shortlist the type of person I wanted. Also, now you have the opportunity to talk to people directly and connect with them through social media.”
After the virtual compatibility based on their filters matched, Aneesh said he decided to meet Aishwarya in person. “I didn’t want to involve our parents till we talked to each other first. I drove down from Malappuram to Thrissur to meet her. She came with her cousin and we talked. We then travelled in the same car to Ernakulam, where we both had meetings. The journey helped us know more about each other’s interests,” he says.
Aneesh says he could immediately relate to the scenes in Varane Avashyamund as “finding an understanding and compatible life partner is a Herculean task. Especially, if you are from the film field”. “It was great that we worked in the same industry; she is a dancer. A month later, I called her mother and expressed my interest in marrying her. After that, we went for an official pennukaanal ceremony and later tied the knot,” explains the actor.
For many youngsters like Amritha S R, who recently got married to Kollam native Alok Ramachandran, finding a groom through matrimony was not because she had given up on love but wanted to figure out a perfect match for her and her family.
Amritha, who is employed in Canada, says, “My parents had given me the space to talk with the people with whom my profile matched and to figure things out. Vishnu chettan (Alok), whose profile was there, contacted me through social media and we hit it off. After that, our parents met each other, and they were waiting for us to give a thumbs-up to the relationship.”
Actor Rajith Menon is another celebrity who found his wife through matrimony site. “Earlier weddings would be arranged by families and the couple were not given a chance to talk till the wedding. But with technology playing the cupid now, I was clear that I would pick my partner only after talking to her. That’s when I came across Sruthi’s profile. I along with my parents went to her house for a pennukaanal and since meeting her I haven’t checked another profile. Within a week, we confirmed our interest in each other and a year later we got married,” says Rajith.
Not many are lucky like Rajith to have found love in the first proposal through matrimony sites. Thodupuzha native Sreeraj T, a techie who is working in Thiruvananthapuram, had to go through heartbreak before finding his life partner.
“My wedding was fixed with a Palakkad girl and we even had an engagement ceremony. But after a few days, she eloped with her boyfriend. Later, I shifted to Thiruvananthapuram as part of my job and my parents checked a matrimony site for a girl who is also from the city and shared similar interests. That’s how I found Akhila Nair. Interestingly, her friends who also work in the same campus as mine turned detectives. When I got to know after our wedding, I couldn’t stop laughing. I feel we were meant for other,” says Sreeraj, who has been married for three years now.
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