Let’s try that again, shall we?

In a strange and unsettling double-standard, men turn to dating apps in their search for a partner, but look askance at the women on these platforms. What should a woman do in response? I have a few pointers

- Simran Mangharam

he Netflix film Aap Jaisa Koi, starring R Madhavan and directed by Vivek Soni, does more than tackle bias against the unwed. It also explores, rather interestingly, the challenges faced by women in the dating world.

The story follows Shrirenu Tripathi, a middle-aged Sanskrit professor, who falls in love with Madhu Bose, a teacher of French. Their seemingly traditional romance takes an unexpected turn when he learns that their “arranged-love” match was actually initiated by Bose after she found him on an app for lonely people. This unsettles Tripathi because he has already embraced the many ways in which her outlook is different from his. The idea that she used this app is, to him, a step too far.

The irony, of course, is that he was on the app too. Looking to connect with a woman.