Remember Aparna Shewakramani From Indian Matchmaking? Read Why She Hates...
The most enjoyable aspect of Netflix's Indian Matchmaking is Aparna Shewakramani. It's reality TV gold when the lawyer appears in the pilot episode and claims she once realised a partner wasn't the one for her because he didn't know Bolivia has salt flats. She continues by saying that she detests humour and finds it offensive when a guy she's dating converses with the waiter. She comes across as someone who isn't hesitant to speak her views during the course of the show, which is intended to expose the arranged marriage process, but it's this quality that causes matchmaker Sima Taparia to characterise her as "picky" and "demanding."
Shewakramani has emerged as the show's most well-liked character in the month since its debut, spawning everything from memes to in-depth think pieces. "I make the joke that three weeks ago no one knew my name, and now it seems like all I hear is my name. What's happening, I ask? Why does everybody talk about me so much? Over a Zoom chat from Houston, she adds, "I'm not that intriguing. By turning off her phone and concentrating on her task, she blocks out the cacophony. She conducts depositions, submits petitions, and attends court via Zoom in the morning. She conducts interviews at night to promote the programme. She works on her "side hustle" of a travel company on Sundays, which she established in December 2018.
She discussed how her portrayal as the antagonist in Indian Matchmaking's meticulous editing has affected her life since it first aired:
What actually attracted her for the show which was not easy:
"I was at the airport, flying home for the weekend. A friend posted on Facebook: Are you single? South Asian? Really looking to get married? I said yes to all. She replied with a link to the application. I filled it right there, still standing in line, attached some pictures, and forgot all about it. One week later, they called. I later learnt that (creator) Smriti Mundhra had done A Suitable Girl, a documentary which was just so classy. I thought that I'd love to be part of a docuseries like that. I'm proud of my culture and how we matchmake. That's what I was sold on. Obviously, the show is not what I was told it was going to be. But I'm still happy I put myself out there."
How hard it is for her now that she became a public figure:
"I haven't left my house since the show aired. Houston has a pretty bad Covid situation. When all this dies down and when it becomes safer to go out and meet new people, we'll see. I'm planning to move to New York and I think that might be more fun for dating and meeting new people only because it's a densely populated city.
I'm still open to finding love. Some people ask if I'd get another matchmaker and I'd say sure. I also refuse to believe that everyone's watched the show or even knows who I am. In six months, they probably won't remember me."
How the show affected her mindset of her partner (especially knowing about the bolivian salt flats):
They never had to! My criteria, which the viewer didn't see, but which was clear to Sima, was that I wanted someone relaxed, introverted and intelligent. All the other stuff was just masala. It just made for better TV. A lot of viewers were confused by me telling Sima: I don't want the funniest guy in the room. It's because I was telling her that I want someone more shy. She was like, 'No, you need someone jolly.' I kept trying to tell her that I want an introvert and she just wouldn't listen. She was like, 'Nope! Half the men we know are guys who sit quietly at the dinner table, laughing under their breath. They're not the ones telling the joke, they're listening and I really like that guy. Sima was like, 'Nope, you don't get that man.'
Additionally she said,
"I'm going to keep moving on, growing my business, and start dating. I hope that the conversations about casteism and colorism five months on will be different from what we're talking about now. I hope Indian Matchmaking will always play a positive part of my life."