Sima Taparia versus Karan Johar: Who is a better matchmaker?

Sima Taparia from Indian Matchmaking and Karan Johar from Koffee with Karan seem to have more in common with each other than the fact that both appear on web shows often classified as “cringe-binge”. While Sima Taparia is a professional matchmaker using biodata and astrological charts to help individuals find their happily ever after, Karan Johar is Bollywood’s very own Cupid armed with industry gossip and a personal equation with almost everyone invited to sit on the Koffee couch. Who is the better matchmaker?

Going by the first two seasons of Indian Matchmaking , Taparia has a 0% success rate. Johar, on the other hand, has bragging rights for catalysing at least two of the biggest, most-talked about weddings in India – Katrina Kaif’s closely guarded destination wedding with Vicky Kaushal, and Alia Bhatt’s homely but super-private balcony wedding with Ranbir Kapoor. With these swell credentials, is it possible to even question Johar’s matchmaking skills?

Johar, unlike Taparia, had six seasons to prove his mettle. In the seventh one, he is trying to get Sidharth Malhotra married to Kiara Advani. We will wait to see if that happens, especially because Johar and Shahid Kapoor have promised to perform at the sangeet. The song chosen is Dola Re Dola from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Devdas (2002). You might remember Johar’s performance with Mithun Chakraborty on the same song in their show Hunarbaaz: Desh Ki Shaan. Chakraborty had said, “Tu Aishwarya ji, main Madhuri ji!”

Taparia got invited to Pradhyuman Maloo and Rushali Rai’s wedding even though Maloo did not meet his bride through the matchmaker. He was grateful that Taparia worked really hard to find him someone, so he wanted to have her blessings on the big day. Going by her interview with Suchin Mehrotra of Hindustan Times, Taparia might deliver the goods in Season 3. When Mehrotra brought up the fact that none of her clients on the show has found a match, Taparia said, “It’s a surprise. Just wait and watch what happens in Season 3.”

Johar might not find a better ambassador than Taparia for the tagline of his film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) – “It’s all about loving your parents.” Taparia is conscious of the fact that she is brokering an alliance between families, not just a man and a woman looking for partners. She also takes on the role of a well-meaning elder when she counsels her clients to find happiness in something more stable and enduring than good looks. Ironically, she cannot appreciate the fact that Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jones might be well- suited to each other. She believes that Chopra looks older, so she deems them an odd couple.

Johar’s matchmaking takes into account sexual chemistry, which Taparia does not seem too invested in. It is clear from her show Indian Matchmaking that even clients who say that they are interested in “family values” want to marry only people whom they find attractive. Is sexual chemistry not a “family value” if a married couple is expected to have babies?

Taparia facilitates only marital alliances whereas Johar is happy to facilitate dates and hook-ups too. He is trying really hard to sell Vijay Deverakonda as a cheese platter. He is also curious to know whether Ananya Panday and Aryan Khan would make a cute couple.

It is fascinating to see how much criticism Taparia gets for assessing compatibility through markers such as age, class, religion, and “family background” – an ambiguous term that appears to hint at caste, language, ethnicity, and cultural heritage. She seems to have become a punching bag for people who are frustrated with their own parents. She is at the supply end of this transaction. The demand comes from families. I am not sure if there is any incentive for her as a businesswoman to question the status quo. In fact, her success depends on it.

Johar might come across as more open and evolved but he too is concerned with traditional markers of compatibility. If he sounds less crude than Taparia, it is probably because he disguises the crudeness with his chic wardrobe. You might remember Johar’s banter with Saif Ali Khan and Sara Ali Khan about Kartik Aaryan’s suitability in terms of his financial situation. While it sounds unfair, it also holds up a mirror to the fact that marriages are often socio-economic arrangements. Why do we expect Bollywood to be an exception to the norm

According to Taparia, adjustment is what holds a relationship together. She is married to a man whom she seems happy with, so she uses that experience to legitimize her advice. Johar, on the other hand, is single. While this might be used to question his ability as a matchmaker, it is worth remembering that Indian law does not recognize same-sex marriage even in 2022. Since Taparia works with Indian clients in the United States, where same-sex marriage is legally recognized, let’s hope that Season 3 of Indian Matchmaking is less heteronormative.

Chintan Girish Modi is a writer, journalist and educator who tweets @chintan_writing

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