On April 7, 2023, Netflix released “IRL: In Real Love,” a show following the journeys of four young bachelors and bachelorettes as they embark on a quest to find true love. The show is hosted by Rannvijay Singh Singha, known for hosting some other popular TV series such as “Roadies” and “Splitsvilla,” and the talented Gauahar Khan of “Bigg Boss” fame. The four contestants at the center of the show are Rohan, Sakshi, Ananya, and Chirag. Rather than dating one another, the participants use a combination of online and offline methods to find compatible partners. To aid their search, they utilize an online dating app called “Meet Cute,” which is similar to the apps commonly used for online dating today.
For the offline aspect, they employ various methods such as speed dating’ to narrow down the list of potential candidates and ultimately find individuals they connect with on a deeper level, leading to actual dates. The show promises to be totally unscripted and demands spontaneous reactions from the participants as they move further along in their journey to find love. Although many would claim that dating shows may not exactly be what they are looking for anymore, as there have been plenty, the specialty of this new series is that it features a totally Indian cast of participants. The participants are all chosen from different and unique spheres of life, further adding to the intrigue of the show, as we find that Ananya is a professional Bharatnatyam dancer who is a really jolly person, and Sakshi is confident and cheerful and knows what she wants.
Spoilers Ahead
The Girls: Sakshi And Ananya
In a technology-driven world, Sakshi is right at home, as she knows exactly what she wants and is confident enough to pursue it. In the introductory episode, she proclaims herself to be just perfect and rates herself 10/10 as a lover. Dating, to her, is equivalent to being in a relationship, as she claims that she has only been in a couple of relationships prior to the show. She is as pretty as she is sassy, and she doesn’t shy away from conflict. Her zodiac sign is Leo, which is the same as Ananya’s, and this is not the only similarity between them as both of them like to talk a lot, and they both would be dating some common people during the speed dating’ phase.
She initially goes out on offline dates with two of the guys she had chosen from the speed-dating phase: Sahib, with whom she admits her vibes matched, and Virender, with whom she later has a conflict. When it comes to meeting guys on ‘Meet Cute,’ she is very particular about how they look and behave and is easily offended by anyone whose attitude she doesn’t like. Which she later proves by blocking an online contact on Meet Cute. She dislikes being controlled and openly speaks out about her first relationship, which according to her, was a ‘puppy love’ affair where her boyfriend at the time had become too possessive for her to tolerate.
The reason she went into that relationship, in the beginning, was because she was looking for someone to share her love with and be pampered by after she had lost her father at a young age. According to her, she is looking for that special someone whom she may not find in real life but may have the opportunity to meet through the show. At one point in the show, she gets into a conflict with one of her offline dates, Virender, a fitness entrepreneur and instructor who, in spite of having an initial connection with her, lost her trust after a misunderstanding during the meet-and-greet party arranged for the participants to get to know each other and have fun.
Ananya is a jolly, outgoing, and confident person who likes having fun and taking chances in life. She is a professional Bharatanatyam dancer who lives in Chennai and is fiercely self-reliant. With her captivating smile and a warm girl next-door attitude, she is sure to make anyone fall head-over-heels in love with her. She proclaims that her goal to be on the show is to find someone whom she could call ‘her man’ and show him off to the world. She is perhaps the cutest of the four, using phrases like ‘super annoying’ and ‘clingy’ to describe herself, but she also admits being very caring and sweet.
Her stance in life seems to be to live in the moment and make the most of it, and that is what sets her apart from everyone else. Although she might appear to be quite innocent at first glance, she also has a very fun and flirtatious side to her. She chooses to go out on dinner dates with two guys after completing her speed-dating schedule: Yatin and Dhruv. Yatin is a guy that she describes as really cute, and Dhruv is the professional basketball player and yoga instructor that catches her fancy. As the show advances, we find a real connection building between Dhruv and Ananya, as they discover that they have a lot of things in common, especially their mutual love for tattoos and jewelry. She also finds a couple of good connections on Meet Cute, and now it all comes down to her to choose one from among these online and offline connections to find the one she is truly looking for.