Sima Taparia of Indian Matchmaking fame is back with the second season of her show on Netflix. While several original cast members returned to the show, such as Pradhyuman Maloo, Aparna Shewakramani and Nadia Jagessar, the highlight of the season was the matchmaker rejecting Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’ pair.
In the second episode of the latest season, Taparia asks Jagessar about how her relationship with Shekhar, the bachelor she set her up with, is going. She told the matchmaker that despite giving multiple hints, she doesn’t feel he has the same feelings for her as she does for him. But Taparia knew the truth that Jagessar had flirted with another single at a party and she had not told Shekhar about it. The person whom she flirted with, Vishal, was seven years younger than her.
To prove that Jagessar’s relationship could work, Taparia jokingly gave the example of Chopra and Jonas who have an 11-year age gap. “But I don’t feel it’s a good match, sorry to tell them,” Sima said. She added, “Just they have married, but it’s not a good match. He looks so small and petite in front of her, and she looks elder.” Jagessar let out a shocked laugh in response to what the matchmaking aunty said on the show.
Chopra and Jonas tied the knot in 2018 in a grand Indian wedding after a whirlwind romance. Earlier this year the couple welcomed their first child via surrogate, a baby girl whom they named Malti Marie Chopra Jonas. Clearly, they’re doing just fine, regardless of what a random matchmaker says.
Netizens are calling out Sima for her ageist remarks.
Last year Indian television actress Nausheen Ali Sardar, known for her role in Kkusum, revealed that Sima refused to find her a match because she’s Muslim.
In a recent interview, Nausheen said that she was “blatantly” told by Taparia that she doesn’t cater to Muslims or Catholics.
Speaking to Pinkvilla, Sardar said: “My family was insisting on getting me enrolled on a matrimonial site since the lockdown was going on, and I wasn’t even going on dates or anything as such. So they thought of approaching Sima Aunty, the famous marriage maker from the show Indian Matchmaking.”
“We were in for a shock when she blatantly told us on our face that she did not cater to Muslims or Catholics,” continued the actor.
“I mean it’s 2021! Yes, I am a Muslim, so what? I have an equal right too in society…I had gotten so annoyed at this that I put this entire bitter experience on her social media page where I had asked her to broaden her mindset,” said Sardar further, adding that she later took down the post on her family’s insistence as they feared that someone would try to hurt Nausheen.
In the same interview, Nausheen shared that this wasn’t the first time she had to face discrimination on the basis of her religion.
The actor shared that she was rejected by housing societies because ‘they do not give houses or flats in their building to Muslims.’
“I was shocked! It’s so important to respect every religion and if any society is going to be so rigid in their thoughts, it will be extremely difficult to survive there,” lamented Sardar.
Nausheen made her television debut with Ekta Kapoor’s hit soap opera, Kkusum in 2001.
