OTTplay Awards 2022 - Know Your Winners: Masaba Gupta wins Excellence in Reality Fiction for web series Masaba Masaba Season 2

At the start of her career as a fashion designer, being surrounded by Bollywood stars and being the daughter of the veteran actress Neena Gupta, Masaba Gupta expresses her gratitude for winning an award for a light-hearted, easy-breezy show like Masaba Masaba. She spoke about receiving the award at a time when on the OTT platform, some of the intense shows like Family Man and Delhi Crime are finding prominence. The ace fashion designer thanked the concept of being inclusive for the country's first pan-India OTT Award show—OTTplay Awards 2022. She received her award from writer-filmmaker Tahira Kashyap Khurrana and Mohit Jain and Kamal Jain of Beli Ram Tara Chand Jain (BRTC). 

About the winner: Neena Gupta is the only daughter of national award-winning actress Neena Gupta and the iconic former West Indies cricketer Viv Richards. Since her childhood, Masaba lived with her mother, Neena, initially in Delhi and eventually in Mumbai. As a child, Masaba had various interests, be it in sports, dance, music, or acting. She faced a lot of prejudice because she was a child, born out of wedlock, had a darker complexion, or had an unusually beautiful appearance. As a teenager, Masaba bereaved every bully with strength and grace.

Career: Masaba was very well exposed to the world of Bollywood and cricket since childhood. When she was 8 years old, she had a dream of becoming a tennis player, but by the time she reached her teen years, she discontinued playing the sport. She then wanted to pursue dance, but her mother, actress Neena Gupta, discouraged that. Then Masaba went to London music school to learn music but came back home as she was too attached to her mother. Finally, she found her calling in fashion design and enrolled herself in fashion school. She considers the late fashion designer Wendell Rodricks as her mentor, who guided her in the right direction to find her feet in the world of fashion.

Asaba gradually made her mark in the fashion industry, participating in every important fashion show like Lakme Fashion Week, and her signature style of blending tradition and contemporary fashion, with intricate embroidery on cotton, silk, and chiffon in ethnic wear for women, received wide appreciation and popularity. She established her own fashion brand, House of Masaba.

Despite being the daughter of an actress, her mother always discouraged her from taking up acting as a career, fearing she would get stereotyped and would face racism for her looks as she is half Indian and half West Indian.

However, with the show, Masaba Masaba, a Netflix original, Masaba made her acting debut in 2020. Masaba also acted in the Amazon Prime Original Anthology Modern Love: Mumbai.

Accolades: Masaba Masaba is a biographical drama series that revolves around the life journey and bond between mother-daughter Neena and Masaba Gupta. The show is written and directed by Sonam Nair and is produced by Ashvini Yardi under the banner Viniyard Films.

The show got appreciation and accolades from critics and audiences alike. Masaba Masaba Season 2 won the Excellence in Reality Fiction Award at the OTTplay Awards 2022.

On winning the OTTplay Award for Excellence in Reality Fiction, Masaba said, "I am glad that I am getting this award for acting because clearly I am wearing the most uncomfortable dress of the night (laughed), so my career as a fashion designer is over! But anyway, it is so nice that a show like Masaba Masaba can co-exist in the world of The Family Man, with Manoj (Bajpayee) Sir, Raj and DK (creator of the show), which I loved, a show like Delhi Crime and so many other good shows. We are a light-hearted, fun watch, and I think we touched the hearts of a few people, and that is all that matters. Thank you so much, and I am very happy to be here!"