Sima Taparia, aka ‘Sima Aunty’ has powered the smash-hit Netflix reality show Indian Matchmaking to huge popularity and two Emmy nominations. t2 caught up with the OG matchmaker, whose introduction of “Sima from Mumbai” is as famous as she is, when she was in the city recently for a chat.

Indian Matchmaking has gained immense popularity worldwide. How has the show impacted your life and career as a matchmaker?

Good morning, friends! I’m Sima Taparia from Mumbai (Laughs) Indian Matchmaking has rocked the world. It is an amazing show, one of a kind. I never dreamt that the show would rock all over the world. The show has gone viral.

I have shown my Indian traditional values and my Indian traditional values have made me a star. People relate to the show and they like my Indian traditional values. It has gone viral in 180 countries!

In the show, we see you working with prospective clients in both the US and India. Are there any notable differences in the matchmaking process between these two locations?

The clients are the same. They are universal everywhere but a little difference is that there (in the US) they don’t see so much of height, caste and colour. In India, we are a little particular about height, colour and beauty.

Here I don’t give them a chance to go on meeting for one-two years. In a few meetings, I tell my client that you just decide ‘yes’ or ‘no’, but in the US, they go on meeting-dating for as long as two years and still, they cannot decide whether they should go on or not.

What, for you, is the definition of compatibility in a match?

I always say that people are not the same. Two siblings are not the same. So how can we expect two people to be the same? So I have told only one ‘guru mantra’... that you will get 60 per cent-70 per cent (of one’s preferences) If this 60 per cent-70 per cent is okay in your checklist, you have to proceed.

How do you navigate the balance between traditional values and modern dating preferences in your matchmaking approach?

Modern dating apps work only to a certain extent. My way is well known and popular. I get the two people together and the success rate is more because there is a mediator, there is a common person in the middle. So, I’ll always say the success rate is more in an arranged marriage. In dating apps, there is no mediator, so the success rate is a little less there.

We have seen you use biodata and astrological charts as part of your matchmaking process. How significant are these factors, and how do they contribute to successful matches?

Matching with horoscopes depends from person to person. I cannot tell that everybody believes in that. I believe in them a lot. About 80 per cent of the Indian population believes in it. By matching (horoscopes), you can know the stars and we can know about compatibility and wavelength. We can know how the person will progress in the future. So, it gives us guidance to move further in life.

Do you believe in the concept of soulmates?

Yeah! If they marry they are soulmates. When the stars align, then they are going to marry.

After the show’s immense popularity, has your approach to matchmaking changed in any way?

After the show I heard from a lot of people that youngsters are saying they want to opt for arranged marriage because all these days they thought that arranged marriage is: ‘Come on, marry this girl or this boy.’ They thought one is forced to marry, but after watching this show, they say: ‘No, we give the criteria, we give the list, we give the preferences and then when we meet the girl or the boy and when we are satisfied, then we say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. I know many youngsters who want an arranged marriage because the risk is less and two families are involved. If anything goes wrong, the families stand beside them.

What’s the funniest criterion you have heard in your matchmaking career so far?

A lady said: ‘I want such a bahu whose hair should be this many inches long, her colour should be this, her height should be this.... It was a challenge for me but I succeeded. I worked very hard.

How do you address misconceptions about arranged marriage?

Sima Taparia (left) in Indian Matchmaking on Netflix

There are no misconceptions because there are a lot of advantages to arranged marriages. I know my method is popular and relevant. When I go to a person’s house, I see their way of living. I ask for their criteria. I ask them many things. Then I proceed. I can say that arranged marriage is becoming more popular now.

How does it feel when you actually know you make a person meet somebody and they are happy and compatible with each other?

When the match is done, I am so happy. I know I have done a good job. I am helping society. I am helping the community and those people give divine blessings to me. I get peace and so much satisfaction and happiness.