Sima Taparia refused matchmaking services because I am a Muslim: Indian actor

You might remember Sima Taparia - famously known as Sima Aunty - from the Netflix show based on matrimonial match-making across the border. Indian Matchmaking made quite a buzz when it hit the screens last year. The reality show garnered attention after it became popular among viewers for its original depiction of the rishta culture.

However, if the account of famous Indian TV actor Nausheen Ali Sardar is taken into consideration, Sima is rather problematic when it comes to picking her clients. Nausheen, in an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, has shared how Indian Matchmaking's Sima apparently refused to find a match for Nausheen since she was a Muslim.

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"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," she told the publication. "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."

She went on to add, "I couldn't fathom the fact that such a mentality existed even in today's era. I mean it's 2021! Yes, I am a Muslim, so what? I have an equal right too in society. Her show that was a hit on OTT never portrayed that she is a woman with such a mindset. 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. But my family feared for me and they got me to pull the post down. They feared that somebody would harm me because of my venting."

She added that while she is very blunt, her family "gets worried whenever I speak my heart out".

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Nausheen went on, "My siblings are quite older to me and they are literally like my parents and my parents are more like my grandparents. My siblings are very active on social media and the moment they see something that I have posted and can cause me trouble, they are behind me to get it down. I too obediently listen to them and don't create a fuss because I understand their concern for me."

But the discrimination didn't begin or end with the matchmaking experience. "I was refused houses by a lot of people staying in various localities before I finally managed to lock in my current house," she revealed. "They straight away told me that 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."

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Nausheen concluded, "I remember how they would refuse houses blatantly on my face. I simply would tell them that I am an open-minded Muslim and moreover a human being first. Having said that, I absolutely will not bring my religion down because of all this. I respect it with all my heart and it would be so wrong to degrade it for whatever reasons. You know, I believe in humanity a lot and tomorrow if I am to get married, my criteria of selecting the guy will be based on how liberal and open-minded he is and not depend on whether he is a Hindu or a Muslim."

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