‘I Always Trusted My Parents, Whether They Were Together Or Not’

Lachmi Deb Roy in conversation with the mother-daughter duo, Neena Gupta and Masaba Gupta, on their new web show Masaba Masaba

The show is based on your life and your relationship with your mother. What liberties did you take in the storytelling?

Masaba: We were involved right from the beginning--from the time the screenplay was written to the dialogues. We did not take many liberties. We shared what we wanted to share and the team took it from there. Anytime there was an element of fiction, we made sure that it was depicted in a realistic manner. We controlled the script to a great extent. Sonam Nair has done a great job as a director. She has shown it in a fun, light-hearted way.

How did the web series happen?

Neena: The production team had contacted Masaba a couple of years ago, but when they came to me, I was a little confused. I wondered if they were going to make a documentary or a reality show, so was a little unsure. I was excited because I felt it was a good idea, but was confused about how they would execute it. When we sat with the writer and the director, they made a storyline with a beginning, middle and end. Then, Masaba and I started sharing stories from our life. The team decided what to remove and what to keep. I loved the final script, especially the flow of the episodes. Shooting wasn’t a problem; scripting is most important.

Neena, how difficult was it for you to bring up Masaba as a single mother? Masaba, how difficult were your initial school days?

Neena: Many women all over the world are single mothers. Sometimes when I used to crib that I was a single mother, my married friends would say that they too are single mothers. The only difference is that their husbands would get money. In today’s world, where does a man have time for his family? A man ends up being the provider and a woman the nurturer. The only thing different for single mothers is that we have to be providers too.

There are a lot of women whose husbands just leave them. Most of the staff in my house are single. They all have children to take care of. But women eventually manage. It was tough for me—people talked about it because I was a public figure. If I had been a maid in a similar situation, then nobody would have talked about it. It is tough to be a provider and a nurturer both and I had to work a little harder.

Masaba: I grew up with a sense of distrust in everybody. As a child, you think you are the same as others in your class and that you should be treated the same way. But somehow, you are treated differently. You end up not trusting humanity. Having said that, at a young age, you have the privilege of forgetting things easily. It doesn’t completely wash out though. The memories come back in different shapes and forms as you grow. But as a child, you are so engrossed in having a good time, eating the food you want and playing outside that you tend to forget the bitterness of certain incidents.

Having said that, I had a normal childhood, one I would like to go through again because it was a happy time. More than anything, it was a transparent childhood. It’s worse when the truth is hidden from kids, when they are not told what is going on. In such a case, you end up losing trust in your parents. I had a lot of trust in my parents, whether they were together or not. I knew I could go to them to get advice and feedback, regardless of the situation. As a child, I didn’t find it that hard. I think it gets harder when you grow up as you start focusing on the negatives.