Sima Taparia is the tough-talking, deeply traditional, and sharp-tongued star of Indian Matchmaking. The 59-year-old grandmother is a brand unto herself. Whenever she’s on screen, Mumbai’s top matchmaker demonstrates dedication to her clients and a meticulous eye for detail. She will not hesitate to check their sometimes outsized expectations.
Sima embraces her role as “Sima Aunty” to the hilt. She does all she can to make dreams of love come true while entrusting the final word to destiny. Her job is getting tougher in today’s world of dating apps. Indian Matchmaking season 2 couples status after the show didn’t have the best longevity record. She may style herself just “Sima from Mumbai,” but who is she really? Here is everything you need to know about Sima Taparia.
Sima Wasn’t Actually Born in Mumbai
She may call herself “Sima from Mumbai”, but she was actually born in the much smaller city of Kalaburagi, also known as Gulbarga, in the state of Karnataka. Gulbarga/Kalaburagi is much closer to Bangalore (the state’s capital), which means Sima would have had to travel over 310 miles to reach her adopted home of Mumbai, where she has lived since moving there with her husband in 1991. Although Sima herself practices Hinduism, her hometown is known for its collections of Muslim art.
Sima Was Born Into Wealth
Sima Taparia’s father was Sri Rameshchandra Lahoti, a well-known businessman in Karnataka. He’s got banquet halls and even a law school named after him in the area. Sima credits her relationship skills to him.
The Matchmaker Comes From A Culture Where Social Relationships Are Everything
Sima Taparia is a member of the Marwari, which has been variously described as a caste and an ethnic group in India. She embodies many parts of Marwari culture, including business acumen and close family ties.
Sima Owns A Flower Business As Well As Arranging Marriages
Sima Taparia had her own artificial flower arranging business, Natural Look, before becoming a matchmaker. She was inspired to create this business on a trip to Spain.
Sima’s Matchmaking Philosophy
Sima Taparia has a very specific philosophy of marriage that often clashes with some of her younger and more idealistic clients. In almost every episode, she tells someone that they must settle for 60-70% in a partner, and that 100% is never possible. She is a strong believer in destiny, and believes that despite her best efforts, the success or failure of a couple is up to a higher power.
The Eligible Bachelors And Bachelorettes On The Show May Not Have Been Her Clients!
Polarizing Indian Matchmaking participant Aparna Shewakramani has gone on record as saying that she had never met or spoken to Sima Taparia before she showed up on Aparna’s doorstep in season 1! Aparna also says that she wanted to date a more quiet and introverted man, but Sima was insistent that she date someone who was more outgoing. You have to wonder why Aparna came back for season 2 if her experience with Sima and the show was so negative, though. She did fire Sima and used her astrologist friend, instead.
Sima Has A Quote For Every Occasion
Memes of Sima Taparia throwing shade and dispensing wisdom (also known as vishesh tipanni) can be found in every corner of the internet. She can compare the rising divorce rate to biscuits, tell someone to change their talking pattern, instruct a talkative man to cool it with the jokes, or insist that everything is up to destiny. Not everyone is comfortable with Sima’s bluntness and some criticize her for being rigid, too conservative, and regressive, but nobody can deny that she can take over a conversation with a single quip.
She Has Decades of Experience
Sima Taparia has married off family members and friends all around the world. However, she only got into matchmaking formally in 2005. This is the result of what she calls an innate talent for talking to and connecting to people. In every case, she involves the families of her clients, to see if they will match as well. She famously requires eye contact with her clients and insists on meeting them face-to-face.
Sima Has Starred In A Netflix Doc Before
Indian Matchmaking wasn’t Sima Taparia’s first project with Netflix. In 2017, she starred in A Suitable Girl, directed by Indian Matchmaking‘s co-director Smiriti Mundhra, where she worked as — what else? — a matchmaker who seeks to find a partner for her real-life daughter Ritu, who is now an MBA-educated financial analyst and has recently welcomed daughter Anaishaa with her husband Aditya Bagree. (This would make Sima Aunty also Sima Granny as well.) Sima has also guested on the popular Indian Big Brother-style reality show Bigg Boss OTT, where she tried to make matches between the houseguests.
Taparia Has Been Married To Her Husband For A Long Time
The famous matchmaker has been married for almost 40 years to Anup Taparia. He is a businessman who specializes in the production of magnets. She was married at age 19. This was the result of an arranged marriage, but Sima and Anup grew to love each other dearly. He would sneak away to see her after telling his parents he was going on a school picnic. In addition to daughter Ritu, the couple have another daughter named Mridu, who has chosen to keep her personal life very private. However, we were able to find a reference to Mridu’s work with the Rotary Club of Bombay Peninsula.
Sima Makes Time For Public Service
Taparia has founded clubs for women, such as Deepsakhi and its offshoot DS Novue, and is an active member of charitable groups such as Rotary (which may explain the connection between daughter Mridu and the Rotary Club) and the Ruchika Club.
She Has An Exceptionally High Net Worth & Her Prices For Matchmaking Are High
Sima Taparia has done exceptionally well for herself, boasting a net worth of over $5 million by some estimates. At her matchmaking agency, Suitable Rishta, prices range from just under $2,000 (USD) to over $5,000 per month. She only works with “high profile” clients, and calculates her fee as a percentage of the overall wedding costs.
Sima Made Several Controversial Comments About Famous Couples
Sima Taparia is not a fan of the marriage between actress/model/singer Priyanka Chopra and former Jonas Boy Nick Jonas. She did not mince words when she said that he was too young for her. (Chopra is more than a decade older than her husband.) When fans of the couple backlashed against Sima on social media, she took it in stride, saying that she was grateful for their feedback. One of her rules in matchmaking, however, is that a couple should never have more than two or three years difference in age between them. Her favorite classic couple is actress Hema Malini and her husband, acting legend Dharmendra. For younger couples, her favorite match is cricket superstar Virat Kohli and his wife, actress Anushka Sharma.
Sima Keeps It Old School
Sima Taparia puts a more modern face on matchmaking, refusing to speak of dowries and actively embracing social media and technology. However, one of her most trusted advisors is face reader Janardhan Dhurbe, who says he can predict a couple’s success from just looking at their pictures. She relies quite a bit on pen and paper to construct profiles of her clients and to make matches.
She’ll Be Back On Our Screens Before We Know It
Sima Taparia will be back on Netflix for a 3rd season of Indian Matchmaking. However, no release date has been announced yet, so stay tuned!
