India’s top matchmaker Sima Taparia on finding love in Dubai: ‘Don’t expect too much'

Dubai: In Sima Taparia’s world, love isn’t blind — it’s just overambitious. The Indian Matchmaking star has landed in Dubai to remind the city’s singles that “expectation is the main cause of unhappiness.”

Her updated mantra? Want less, smile more, and swap compromise for the more palatable understanding.

Better known as “Sima from Mumbai,” the Netflix-famous matchmaker is here to help Dubai’s romantics turn situationships into marriages — one bio-data and horoscope at a time.

“The Gen Z, the youths, they don’t like that word ‘compromise’,” she says with a grin. “So I changed it to ‘understanding’. It’s the same meaning, but now everyone is happy!”

It’s the kind of linguistic gymnastics only Sima Taparia could pull off — a performative attempt at being woke while keeping her old-school marriage philosophy firmly intact.

Watching her modernise matchmaking feels like watching your mother discover ChatGPT — endearing, chaotic, and unintentionally hilarious.

Dubai, are you ready to mingle for marriage (the Sima Aunty way)?

On November 15, Sima will host a “Singles Meet and Greet” in Dubai, promising ice-breaking games, introductions, and what she describes as “two to three hours of genuine connection.”

“My dear youngsters, my friends, Dubai-ites — you have to come! Meet your partners, exchange your Instagram handles, talk to each other!” she gushes.

“I will help the shy ones too. God makes some people shy — I will go to them and say, ‘You both can match together.’”

For her, Dubai’s wedding market scene is fertile ground. “Dubai and India are same,” she declares. “America is different, but Dubai — same thinking, same values.”

In case you’ve somehow missed the cultural phenomenon, arranged marriage — in Sima’s world — isn’t about coercion or parental control. It’s about families (and now, algorithms) helping singles in the marriage market to find suitable matches based on compatibility, background, and, of course, “adjustment.”

It’s a system that’s been quietly rebranded for the Instagram era — where bio data meets bio link, and your mum’s intuition competes with AI logic.

The 60% Rule

Sima doesn’t believe in perfection — and she’s not afraid to say it.

“If you get 60% from your potential marriage candidate, proceed,” she says firmly. “Because you will never get 100%. If you wait for that, you’ll never settle in your whole life.”

Her advice sounds like tough love from an Indian auntie — and maybe that’s exactly the point.

“People call me old-school,” she shrugs. “But I follow tradition — the same things that have worked for hundreds of years.”

‘Zero percent scripted’

While she’s now a pop culture icon thanks to Indian Matchmaking, Sima insists the show that made her famous was completely authentic.

“Zero percent scripted,” she declares. “No dialogues, nothing. Even ‘Sima from Mumbai’ — that’s my own line!”

Fame at 58 — and a message to women everywhere

For someone who found global fame in her late fifties, Sima Taparia is almost evangelical about reinvention. “There is no boundary for creativity,” she says. “Don’t think, ‘Oh, I am 60 or 70.’ Whatever creativity you have, just go for it!”

She reveals she always wanted to sing but thought her voice wasn’t good enough. “Then I sang, and the songs went viral — eight million, nine million on YouTube!” she laughs. “Age is not a limit. You can start anything, anytime.”

Love in the age of apps? She’s not impressed

In a world of swipes and filters, Sima remains unimpressed by dating apps. “In my way, there is a mediator, a common person. Eye contact is there. You can meet, you can see the family. In apps, it’s all fake type. You just see on the net and say, ‘This is the girl.’”

She even has her own answer to Tinder and Bumble — her AI-powered app Urban Match. “No fake profiles,” she says proudly. “We scan and filter everything.”

On trolls, fees, and fake videos

Sima has learned to take internet drama in stride. “Negatives and positives both make me famous,” she says with a wink. “People can post anything. Anybody can make anything!”

As for the viral rumour that her matchmaking fees cost as much as a wedding, she laughs it off. “Fake video!” she exclaims. “Why will I charge like this? I am also a mother — who will pay that?”

Arranged vs. Love — she’ll take both, with a side of patience

Married for 42 years, Sima still believes arranged marriages have their charm.

“In arranged marriage, first it’s marriage, then love,” she says. “You have to adjust, you have to be flexible, you have to have patience. That’s the same in love marriage also.”

The one non-negotiable for her? “Respect and giving space to your partner. Both are very important,” she says.

When asked about unrealistic demands from clients, Sima doesn’t hold back. “They say, ‘We want beautiful, beautiful!’ I tell them, beauty is one-tenth of an inch. See her heart, her honesty, her family upbringing — that’s important.”

Money matters — but not everything

She’s refreshingly candid about the role of wealth too in a relationship. “Money is important. Without money, what can we do, Manjusha? Tell me!” she laughs.

“But money doesn’t get everything. Caring, understanding, patience — that’s what keeps love going.”

Her advice for Dubai’s hopeless romantics

Before signing off, Sima leaves Dubai’s singles with a parting shot of realism — the kind only she could deliver with a smile.

“Don’t expect too much,” she warns.

“Expectation is the main cause of unhappiness. A little expectation is okay, but if you expect too much, you spoil your life and your partner’s life. Have patience, care for your partner, and your life will be smooth.”