Masaba Gupta on how the industry treats actors: ‘The minute you are in front of the camera…’

In a recent chat with Pinkvilla, Masaba was asked what kind of roles she was getting in the early days and Masaba candidly said, “No roles were coming my way.” She continued that even after Masaba Masaba, she gets offered parts where she has to play the girl who is battling with acne, or someone who has had a troubled childhood. “I don’t think I ever get a role which is the focus of a man’s life. And I think, that in films here, what happens is that everything is about ‘Can one romance her?’ I don’t think I get offers for roles where I can be romanced,” she said.

Masaba shared that she recently did a role that she chose because the makers came to her with an offer that had her using her skills as an actor. She acknowledged that despite the stereotypes at play, she still has her own show, which is why it is beyond her when she gets offers to play sidekicks. “I have my own show, so why would I play the role of some sidekick? That irritates me. I don’t want to be a sidekick. If you think I can play the role of a sidekick and that sidekick is contributing so much to the script then I will do it. I will do a one-minute part in a very big film or a very small film if I can prove my skills as an actor in that much time,” she said.

Masaba’s brand and her fashion label became her identity way before she came to be known as an actor and she realises that actors are taken as ‘serious’ people, even though she is a strong businesswoman who has built her empire with 12 years of hard work. “The minute you are in front of a camera, does not matter if you have done a good job or a bad job, the minute you have got a role in a film or a show or something, people just think ‘you’ve arrived’. And it doesn’t matter how good or bad that show or that role is. ‘Oh, she is an actor’ and suddenly you are like a serious person. It is 12 years of work on a brand and the show is a result of the brand,” she said.

She also spoke about mother Neena Gupta and answered whether the latter’s experiences with love coloured her view of life. “I was telling somebody this just today- that kids should never take on the baggage of their parents. And I think, it’s easier said than done, but I think, as kids, we should always remember that we are not our parents. We are our own people, and we have the ability, and we have the option to change, and choose our own destiny. So I think, just because she went through what she went through, I don’t think my idea of love was ever colored, or my idea of relationships was ever colored. I see things for what they are.”

Masaba was praised for her performance in the debut season of her show. Season 2 of Masaba Masaba is expected to arrive this year.