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Indian Matchmaking first hit our screens three years ago, and we’ve been hooked ever since. The docuseries slash dating show sees south Asian singles try to find love with the help of Mumbai-based matchmaker Sima Taparia, better known as Sima Aunty. In its most recent series, which dropped on Netflix on 21st April, there was enough love, heartbreak and engagements to last us until season four arrives – fingers crossed!

The show delves into the dating lives of south Asians in India, the US and the UK and all the drama that follows, but, what is starring on Indian Matchmaking actually like for the cast? Cosmopolitan UK chatted with series three star, Arti Lalwani, on the process of joining the show, what Sima Aunty is really like in real life and if she still has faith in the matchmaking process.

“I was one of the people that didn’t apply to be on the show,” she told us. “I was selected by a producer after I was recommended by my childhood friend Jay Wadhwani, who appeared on season one. At the time, it was the pandemic and I was very single. Then somehow, I was made a lead role by producers which was super exciting.”

Arti says it took a long time for filming to get started and she went through a lot when she joined the show. “We went through a bunch of pauses in production due to Covid-19 restrictions, which makes sense due to lockdowns, so I’d been filming since 2021. But it was a long journey and something people don’t see is that my father actually did an interview for the show before he passed away,” she said.

Arti sadly lost her father four months before we meet her in season three and she opened up about how tough that time was for her. “I was going through a lot with my grief, I had moved to Miami seven days before my father passed away, the moving company I used turned out to be a scam, so I had all my stuff stolen and was sleeping on an air mattress. Plus, with filming, it was a long process, but I think that’s what they want. They wanted to follow our lives and journeys, and that’s what they did.”

After being first approached at the start of 2021, Arti then filmed her first on-camera date that October. She was matched with Avinash and they went to a bar in Miami and seemed to hit it off well, but it was not meant to be as the pair weren't really compatible. On the date she forgot the cameras were there with little interference from the production crew.

“My journey was 100 percent accurate. I never had interference, or anybody telling me to ‘say this’ or ‘do that’. The most they’d do is ask me to repeat myself… everything was a genuine reaction, no reshoots. I never felt like I was on a reality show," she said.

Many might also be wondering what Sima Aunty is really like in real life. “She is an aunty,” joked Arti. “Sometimes she reminds me of my mum, and not always the best parts of her! There’s a traditional sense to her and when it comes to dating, we had very clear differences which they showed. But, she’s a great person. She came to my house, we shared makeup times, drank chai, talked, she brought gifts, we laughed… and she was so sweet to my dog!”

But, despite going on a few dates with Sima Aunty's matches on the series, Arti ended up finding her match off-screen, having met her partner Jamal on a dating app while filming. The pair bonded over fitness and had their first date at Costco. A few months later and they were engaged with a beautiful proposal, which regardless of what some viewers thought, Arti was completely shocked and thrilled by.

“Despite what people are saying online, I never saw the set up for the engagement, I never saw the ring,” Arti adds. “I’m not an actress, I’m f**king terrible at acting!”

So, as she met Jamal outside of the process, does Arti still have trust in Sima Aunty’s skills? “If you’re a little more traditional and are OK with families being involved, then sure, she’s a solid choice. But it’s not for me.”

She still sees the positives in the show, and says her favourite part of the process was the friends she made like Shekar, Shital and Viral. “We’re all going through the same thing so I’m super grateful to have such closeness with the cast and call them my friends.”

Now, the question on everyone's lips, are Arti and Jamal still together? Yes, and they’re now living together in Miami! “We’re enjoying each other’s company, travelling, having fun, meeting each other’s families and he is so wonderful. It makes me gooey. We haven’t started wedding planning yet as it’s hard to imagine a wedding without my dad but we’re doing well and are on the right track.”

Indian Matchmaking is streaming on Netflix now.

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Furvah Shah is Cosmopolitan UK’s junior entertainment and lifestyle writer. She covers everything from TV and films to music and books, plus lots of celebrity news. Furvah has previously written for , BBC, and and she is super passionate about highlighting diverse talent and projects, having interviewed the likes of Halle Bailey, India Amarteifio, Iman Vellani and more. She's been interviewed for Times Radio and BBC Asian Network, graduated with a First in BA Media and Communications from Goldsmiths University and is an NCTJ-qualified journalist. In her free time, you can find her at an arts or culture event, eating Middle Eastern or Asian food, searching for modest fashion inspiration on Pinterest, binge-watching a Netflix series or cuddling with her cat. You can follow Furvah on , , and . 

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