The Seema Syndrome

AFTER THE ROARING SUCCESS OF INDIAN MATCHMAKING, SEEMA TAPARIA IS SET TO SHOOT THE NEXT SEASON OF THE DOCUSERIES

- Lubna Salim

WHEN WE CONNECT WITH SEEMA TAPARIA, popularly known as Seema Aunty from the blockbuster eight-part documentary series Indian Matchmaking, she’s prepping for a do at Fairmont Jaipur. Seema is also super excited to attend the Emmy Awards (her show bagged an Emmy nomination this year) before she begins to shoot for Season 2 of Indian Matchmaking. Clearly, she has her hands full, and how.

“I got my visa waiver and attended the Emmy Awards (in September). Then after 10 to 15 days, I flew again to shoot for the second season of Indian Matchmaking,” she says in her signature matter-of-fact tone.

While Seema, by her own admission, might not have changed post the success of her Netflix show, her life certainly has. “The celebrity status hasn’t gotten into my head, I’m the same levelheaded Seema Taparia as I was, one year back. Since childhood, I always dreamt being loved and respected by the whole world. That has happened through Indian Matchmaking and fame was the by-product of the success of the show,” she says.

LET’S TALK BUSINESS

BUT WHAT’S changed drastically is her matchmaking business. Seema received thousands of biodatas and calls from people across the world the very next day after Indian Matchmaking was aired. So much so that she had no option but to remove her phone number from Google, for Seema had nobody to answer all those calls during the pandemic, having to rely on the assistance of her husband and daughter.

But every newspaper in the world, every magazine, TV and radio channel interviewed her, she says, and adds: “Then there were so many memes of my show. I enjoyed them as they made the show popular, too.”