With Masaba Masaba ready to drop online, director Sonam Nair on completing the post-production of Netflix show during the lockdown
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; July 7, 2020)

After wowing us with her creations featuring bold prints, couturier Masaba Gupta is set to showcase her acting skills with the eponymous series, Masaba Masaba. The Netflix show will mark her on-screen union with actor-mother Neena Gupta. While the shoot was wrapped up well ahead of the lockdown, director Sonam Nair has been supervising the post-production remotely in order to meet the deadline.

"Thankfully, we had locked the edit, background music, and other creative aspects before the lockdown," states Nair, adding that dubbing for the series, without the advantage of a home studio, was a logistical nightmare. "I had to supervise the dubbing session over video calls. It was strange because the three key players — the actor, the sound designer and I — were operating from different locations. I could neither see the video nor hear [the dubbing] clearly, but we made the best of the situation."

The director adds that she missed out on the joy of watching the final cut of the show with her team. "As the director, I have to check the final picture before locking it. Since I don't have a studio, I checked it on my laptop and greenlit it. Given the current circumstances, I realised that things will not be as perfect as they could have been."

The trailer of the show — which is inspired by the designer's life — is expected to drop online in the coming weeks. "I had a gala time shooting with Neena and Masaba; they are inspirational, down-to-earth and funny," says Nair.