'Our Values Don't Align': Aparna On Why She Didn't Return As Sima's Client On 'Indian Matchmaking 2'
Sima Taparia, from Mumbai, may be seen as one of the most reputed matchmakers in India. Still, her credentials have failed to impress Indian Matchmaking star Aparna Shewakraman.
Sima Taparia may be seen as one of the most reputed matchmakers in India, but her credentials have failed to impress Indian Matchmaking star Aparna Shewakraman.
Sima Taparia, who loves to emphasize she's from Mumbai, has risen to enviable popularity (thanks to Indian Matchmaking) and spends a large part of her year jet-setting around the world to set up clients on dates.
Aparna, one of Sima's clients in the first season, is no longer associated with her. This was also evident in the episodes from Season 2.
While Sima was able to find new clients and continue her search for prospective brides and grooms for Millenials across America and India, Aparna chose to fly solo.
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According to reports, Aparna Shewakramani has not spoken to Sima Taparia in 2 years.
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After the first season, one thing was clear: Sima's clients were hard to please, things didn't go as planned, and none of Sima's series one clients were successfully matched.
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While Sima continued her quest to find partners with her first season's stars, like Aparna, Pradhyuman Maloo, and Nadia Jagessar, Aparna backed out.
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On the other hand, Aparna chose to take a different route this season and is no longer one of Sima's clients.
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Aparna and Sima were not on the same page in several episodes of the first season of 'Indian Matchmaking.'
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Aparna, active on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, clarified why she chose to be a part of season 2 but not collaborate with Taparia.
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While addressing a fan question on TikTok, Aparna explained her reason for being a part of the Netflix show. Aparna said that Sima did not align with her personal views and values.
In an elaborate answer, Aparna said,
"It's a great question. I get this a lot. I went on season two because I did it on my terms. I was very clear that I would not work with Seema. I had a very poor experience. She does not align with my values. I believe in gender equality in relationships. I believe that the color of someone's skin is not what I choose my partner. I believe that, and I wasn't hurt at all in the process either. So I said I'll go back to the show and share my story. And it is the story of me living life on my terms. I wanted to share that I did something scary: I quit my job as a lawyer of ten years at the height of my career. I moved to a city I had never lived in before, which is New York City. I left my friends, and my family and I started over. I think that's a powerful story for women of color and myself as an immigrant to share because it's not something that we think we can do. It's something that people have told us is often outside of, you know, what we should be doing with our lives; we should be stable. We should just live miserable existences that are stagnant. Now, again, that's my personal experience. I was miserable and stagnant. I think you are. I know the trolls will come at me like I'm not miserable. Well, are you a troll? But anyway, my story was one that I thought I wanted to share. And there was an expectation that I would work with a matchmaker. And I said, no, I'm proud of that."
Aparna also added that she wanted to represent South Asian women. She clarified reports of the show being scripted or paid to be a part of the show. Aparna said,
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"I wanted people to see that my boundaries and decision-making were on my terms. I think so many women of color do not feel that they have the ability to draw lines in the sand. When people treat them poorly or feel bad about a situation, they allow it to repeat itself. And I wanted to say, like, Hey, look at me. Like I could end up alone, I will still not align myself with an experience I feel was wrong for me. And yeah, that's why I did the show. And many people are like, Oh, it's for the money, y'all. We got paid $0, $0. This is an unscripted show. It is $0. Like no paycheck, like no money. So, I mean, that would be nice if I got money, but I don't. And I think that this is bigger than that. I believe this is about the stories we're telling on the screen and our conversations. And I passionately believe think about that. I wrote a book called She's Unlikable and Other Lies that Bring Women Down because I wanted to continue the conversation. I returned to season two because I wanted to continue the conversation like it was enough for me. That's a lot for me. And if we can start moving South Asian women forward and collectively rise and empower each other, I think my work here is done. "
In a separate video, Aparna also answered questions about if she met Sima Aunty at the mixer Nadia threw in Jersey City.
"I did not see Sema on TV at the mixer. Surprise. The viewers might not see that. But I stuck to my guns, and I had drawn my boundaries, and I was going to make sure that I intentionally told my story; whether that came across or not, I don't know. But I knew that my actions had to reflect that. And so I chose to swing by, see my friends, meet awesome new people, and do it on my terms. My terms were that I am not a client and would not be there. And, you know, while she's there. So I'm glad that I got that opportunity and was glad to get on a plane with my friends. A few hours later, we were headed to Portugal. We had planned the trip a month in advance, so it was cool that I got to do both things in one night. I got to see new friends and old friends I met in matchmaking. I got to also go to Newark Airport and take a flight across an ocean. So it was a good partner day all around. And honestly, it's important for me to tell you that this is your invitation to do that, too. This is your invitation to say, hey, a situation's going to make me uncomfortable or compromise me in some way or doesn't feel good, and I'm not going to do it. And so that's what I wanted to show through my actions. That's what I did. Whether or not you saw that, I don't know. But that's kind of the back story."
Aparna uploaded a new video to clarify there's no animosity between her and Sima, but their values don't match.
Season 2 has been receiving a lukewarm response from fans.
Apart from Aparna, Pradyuman, Shekhar, and Nadia also returned for the second season.
While Pradhyuman revels in his newlywed status with somebody Sima did not match him with, Nadia continues to work with Sima and go on dates, relying on the matchmaker to equip her with bio-data from which she could select.
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