Masaba Gupta has always been candid about the influence her mother, Neena Gupta, has had on her life and career. In a freewheeling chat, the designer-turned-actor opens up about Neena’s unapologetic approach to life, her inspiring career graph and her mom’s fashion choices that often face scrutiny on social media.

Talking about why trolls don’t bother her mom, whether it’s about her career, personal life or fashion choices, Masaba says, “There are people who don’t give a damn because it’s cool not to give a damn, and then there are people who actually don’t give a damn - my mom is the latter. She actually doesn’t give a damn because she’s only buying shorts online, wearing them and venturing out (laughs). She comes from a different time, and today, you can be unabashed and be yourself. She only believes in being happy internally and externally.”

Masaba, who in recent times has ventured into acting with shows like Masaba Masaba and Modern Love: Mumbai, says she deeply admires her mother’s continued success as an actor.

“It’s amazing that she’s having her second or third or fourth or fifth innings (laughs). She’s coming here to take all our jobs. It’s amazing because this is what she worked for her whole life. Her honesty and hard work have led her to this point. I’m so happy for her because I think at this age, very few people can achieve that,” she shares.

Sharing what advice her mom gave her about a career in acting, Masaba says, “I was lucky that I was extremely self-critical. I also took my mom’s advice that I would not be able to be a commercial film actress because Indian heroines have looked a certain way, and they will continue to look a certain way. That’s a seismic shift, which will not happen overnight. I was lucky enough to understand from her that if I wanted commercial success, I wouldn’t find it in this space. I was saved because I always had a Plan B and Plan C.”

Now that she has made a foray into acting through OTT platforms, does she hope to appear on the big screen? “Absolutely, I do, but the industry itself is going through a bit of an overhaul right now. Also, it’s not my priority at this moment because my other work takes up 99 per cent of my time. I think I will only take up something if it’s actually meaningful and it does justice to who I am.”