Why Masaba Masaba Is A One-Time Watch Only

Posted: September 6, 2020

The bubble of excitement around the new 6-episode series ‘Masaba Masaba’ was obvious before it was released on Netflix. But was it able to engross its viewers with what it had to offer?

Sadly, the answer is – no! So let’s dig a little deeper and see what worked and what didn’t for this brand new rom-com.

Masaba Gupta’s life has always aroused a lot of curiosity. It had to do mostly with her parents. Her mom, Neena Gupta is an iconic actor, a legend in Bollywood, and her father, Viv Richards, is a famous cricketer.

Being raised by her strong mother, there was no doubt she would turn out to be a strong, confident, and independent woman. Beyond everything else, I was eager to see the bond between the mother-daughter duo.

Masaba’s sassy portrayal of her fictionalised self and veteran actress Neena Gupta’s as her concerned mother was relatable to a certain extent. Masaba’s young self taking her place during key moments in her life is an innovative take on how grownups feel – a kid trapped in their rather grown-up physical self. However, I wish more of a background story had been included for young Masaba.

What went wrong?

For starters, the supporting cast and the guest appearances didn’t seem to strike the right chord and felt kind of forced somehow. The only exception was Rhytasha Rathore, who played Masaba’s best friend.

She did a decent job of being supportive, headstrong, and taking the bull by the horns when the situation demanded.

Neenaji steals almost all the scenes she is in. Whether she is worried about her daughter’s future or dealing with her insecurities, you tend to sympathise with her. However, the same can’t be said about Masaba. Her dialogues and her facial expressions don’t always seem to be in sync.

What worked

It would be unfair if I said I hadn’t noticed the clothes from the House of Masaba. They were absolutely fantastic. The prints especially were stupendous. The perfect blend of ethnic and contemporary gives her clothing line a unique yet desirable tinge.

Well, it was quite exhilarating, appeasing my discerning palate on Masaba Masaba. However, I am still pondering about how to end this piece. So, on that note, I would like to sign off with a few details that I just couldn’t wrap my head around.

Masaba and Dhariya’s chemistry (Dhariya’s character is played by Neil Bhoopalam)
Character development for Jogi (played by Smaran Sahu)
What caused Masaba and Vinay’s split?
A blink and miss appearance by Suchitra Pillai (she could have done so much better than the rest of the supporting cast, if only she had been given more screen time)

My final verdict

Ultimately, you can watch this series for the effort put in by the newbie actress, Masaba. Also, it would not be fair to miss Neenaji’s earnest self as a veteran actress struggling in her career or as the protagonist’s mother.

Now take a moment and imagine how funny it would be if Masaba had somehow met Seema Aunty from the Indian Matchmaking series. (Yes, I am cringing too!)

I can’t help but paint bizarre imaginary scenarios in my mind. What do you think?

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