Masaba Masaba review: Funny and breezy mother-daughter story

Masaba Masaba

Director: Sonam Nair

Cast: Masaba Gupta, Neena Gupta

Streaming on: Netflix

I wonder how comfortable or uncomfortable would it be to play yourself (or a version of you) on screen? Netflix’s new original Masaba Masaba features renowned fashion designer Masaba Gupta and her mother actress Neena Gupta playing themselves (or a version of them). Masaba who turns actor with this series seems perfectly at ease in front of the camera. Her mother Neena who has become a go-to actress to play mom post Badhaai Ho, is the show-stealer. Whenever these two women are on screen, you simply can’t take your eyes off them.

The series is semi-autobiographical. It’s difficult to distinguish between facts and fiction. The treatment is bold and funny. It is refreshing to see a series about two strong, independent and successful women without preaching feminism gyan. Masaba is a character/person which is hardly ever seen in Indian content. The similarity flashbacks of adult Masaba and child Masaba are some of the nicest sequences.

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The series has delightful cameos by some lovely women – Kiara Advani, Pooja Bedi, Shibani Dandekar, Malavika Mohanan and Farah Khan (my favorite cameo). Creator Ashvini Yardi, director Sonam Nair and her team of writers (Punya Arora, Nandini Gupta, Anupama Ramchandran) have created a funny and breezy, six-episode tale of a fabulous mother-daughter duo. The dialogue is top rated and the screenplay is crisp.

The series is set in the millennial & colorful world of fashion and production design brings this aspect out excellently. I assume some of the portions must have been shot at their real home and office. The use of Instagram in the narrative is done smartly. In a world of showing off on social media how cool your life is an addiction (sickness?), many people use it as a self-defense mechanism also.

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However, sometimes, the semi-autobiographical story seems to saunter around on the surface level. It doesn’t really dig deep into the psyche of the characters where the real problems lie. Things are passed on as mere information that you need to get and move on with the narrative. No time to know these two women more for Neena has often shared her issues of being forgotten/sidelined by casting directors or filmmakers, the challenges of being a single parent etc. These things haven’t been given much attention.

The series has its flaws, but life too has them. But it seems to be an attempt to embrace those flaws and celebrate the mess as you navigate through it. Worth checking this one out.