Fashion designer Masaba Gupta, who made her acting debut in 2020 with the series Masaba Masaba, wants her acting career to be a real deal instead of being a vanity affair. That’s because she is not trying to fit into any box.

“I have seen that when people are on set, they keep looking for ways to validate their presence as an actor. But I am just being myself,” asserts the daughter of veteran actor Neena Gupta. She adds, “I am not taking any extra measures to make my skin look anything different from what it is. I am not taking any extra steps to make my body look smaller than it is. I’m not trying to fit into any box. I am not trying to fit into people’s ideas of what I should be like if I’m an actor. I am trying to do justice to the roles I get.”

The 33- year-old adds, “I run a business [too], so I don’t have the time to think about all the things and the vanity that come with the industry. I go back to my work quickly.”

Talking about her acting journey so far, she says, “It has been overwhelming because it has happened in a very unnatural way. When a lot of people make their debut, there’s a lot of fanfare around. They spend a lot of time taking care of their bodies, learning dance or training... [I would say] it’s such an interesting time because people who are not considered typical actors are getting a lot of work.”

Masaba’s debut project was inspired by her own life, and she followed it up with another web project, Modern Love: Mumbai. She confesses that she thought the role in her recent outing would go to “some well-known actor”. “To get work because of the fact that people think you can act and fit the role is a rare case in the industry. So it’s a great thing for me,” concludes Masaba, who feels she entered the industry at the right time.