Masaba Gupta on racism: Friends brought up colour of my skin every time

Picture courtesy/Masaba Gupta's Instagram account

Neena Gupta's daughter Masaba Gupta is not only a known fashion maven but is also trying her hand at acting. The web series Masaba Masaba garnered her a lot of appreciation from across quarters. Masaba, who has always been outspoken and a voice for body positivity, recently opened up on facing discrimination while growing up due to skin shade.

She said that she faced racism at a very young age and it affected her life. Speaking to journalist Barkha Dutt, Masaba said, "It was reactions of friends and acquaintances, people who you thought had your back that affected me. A friend of mine brought up the colour of my skin every time I asked her about what to wear, what subject to study or what sport I should play. I thought it was bizarre. However, more than the colour of my skin, it was about the relationship of my parents. I remember being called a b'stard child a lot. Lots of boys in my school will ask 'is she the ba''ard?' I didn't understand what it meant and I went and asked my mother when I was young and she explained it to me by the book. She said this is what it means and be prepared to get more of this."

Talking about the hatred she faced because of her colour, she said, "I played professional tennis in school and I was permitted to come late to the class as I was playing for the state. The boys in the class would open my bag, take out my underwear and toss it around. They would make fun of my shorts because I was a bigger girl. They would be like 'is it all black inside from the colour of her skin'. You think you outgrow it but you don't."

Also Read: Masaba Gupta Turns 32: A Quick Recap Of The Birthday Girl's Inspirational Journey

This isn't the first time Masaba has talked about her racism experience. A few days back, Masaba in an interview had revealed that she grew up thinking she was inferior to white-skinned people. Masaba said, "It is easier for us to speak because it is not happening in our backyard. I had a really tough time in school. Everyone used to be like, 'oh my god! Why do you keep talking about it? It is not a big deal'. The fact of the matter is that it is a big deal. I grew up thinking I was inferior to white-skinned people. And as a child if you are conditioned like this, it becomes a part of your upbringing that you believe that probably because I look like this, I won't get anywhere in life."

On the work front, Masaba was last seen in the Netflix web series Masaba Masaba. Also starring Neena Gupta, the web series takes us inside the life of the fashion designer. In an exclusive interview with mid-day, Masaba talked about her experience of working on the series. "After seeing the first cut, my mom [Neena Gupta] said I was good. I passed the acting test because I had the common sense to not get over-ambitious. With this show, I wanted to shatter the idea that designers faff in the name of work. People told me they didn't know fashion requires work. Secondly, it's necessary to humanise celebrities; they have their own hardships. The show depicts the unfortunate fact that women, no matter how successful, aren't taken seriously," she said.

The cliff-hanger indicates that a second season is in the offing. Ask her if she will juggle acting with designing here on, and she says, "Fashion can never take a backseat. But if something good comes my way, I'm game."

Also Read: Masaba Gupta: Mom Got Affected With My Separation, Didn't See It Coming

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