Turning 30 for a single, independent and working woman who shoulders the responsibility of her career rather than a family, much to society’s bemuse, is a dreadful event of life. No amount of new adult romance drama where you unexpectedly meet a gentleman and live happily after is going to sugarcoat the dreadful alarming feeling of growing old. Being single and enjoying your life as a woman without having to worry about starting a family is simply a wishful thought in a desi household and that is what Masaba Masaba season 2 expertly depicted. Making her debut in the first season, entrepreneur and fashion designer, Masaba Gupta passed her acting test with flying colours in season and bowled over the audience with her performance in the reality cum fiction web series on Netflix. Her mother, the veteran actor, Neena Gupta, accompanied her on the venture. The second season promised glamour, drama and a messier season, but did it sacrifice the depth of the story to achieve that? Read the spoiler-free review to find out what prompted me to ask the question.
While following your heart, what if you realize it’s in the wrong place? The show seems to have been built on this thought which, admittedly, holds a strong selling point for people who are still trying to figure out life, especially women. Masaba Masaba season 2 plays well with this notion against the background of fashion as Masaba Gupta now launches a new bridal wear collection and gets stuck in a love triangle. While trying to design unique bridal wears for the brides of India, Masaba gets hounded by her mother, Neena Gupta, for her own marriage. The incessant reminder of her single life through the harsh words of her own mother takes a toll on her.
The trailer showed how Masaba wants to become the ‘King of fashion’ but that ambition somehow gets lost in her personal mess of issues, only resurfacing occasionally as a means for Masaba to escape from a situation. The quasi-real events in the show give you a peek into Masaba’s fashion empire as she deals with her personal affairs. While Masaba is the star of the show, Neena Gupta’s performance stood out—a reflection of her decades-old experience. The drama offers an austere take on the glamorous lives of public figures proving that they are, in fact, no less human than us.
The notion is further propelled by the very relatable situations that Masaba comes across. The topsy-turvy emotions while dealing with business partners, exes and an overly concerned mother were expertly portrayed in the series. You will also witness splashes of reality sprinkled across the fictional world of fashion, which might provide with a dose of entertainment. However, do not expect too much of fashion this season. We also see the classic love triangle with Masaba dealing with a battle of heart between a good two-shoe guy and a bad boy.
The first season dealt with topics of divorce, this season, there is a whole lot of conversation about balancing work and life whilst the world hounds you to start a family. Other congeneric topics like hitting mid-life crisis, body image issues and love triangles are sure to strike a chord with the working class women of the country, especially the ones entering the thirty-flirty phase of their lives. Strong essence of feminist aura was hard to miss easy to relate. Masaba aced through it all whilst approaching them on-screen. She already proved to be a natural on-screen and the second season simply fortifies the compliment.
Neena Gupta’s performance is sure to strike a chord with women in their late fifties-sixties, regardless of their profession and lifestyle. The charm and wisdom wrapped around in a bundle of innocence and pure love of her daughter are something every mother can relate to. It was also refreshing to see her chemistry with Ram Kapoor. However, it is not all rainbows and fairies in Neena’s world and the show manages to depict that on-screen expertly.
Neil Bhoopalam’s Dhairya and Armaan Khera’s Fateh played their parts convincingly enough but Neil took the cake, retaining, if not, intensifying his charms from the previous season. Kusha Kapila did what she does best. Coming off as a super girl-boss; more so than Masaba herself at times. She owned it every time she came on-screen. Though her role did not add much to the story, her dialogue and chirpy persona proved to be a breather from a rather slow-paced storyline. Barkha Singh and Ram Kapoor’s performance reflected their experience in the industry and came off instantly likeable despite the less screen time.
The show picks up from the latter half when the love triangle intensifies, giving us a taste of Masaba’s acting excellence in the romance genre and she passed with flying colours. The writing caught the nuances and complexities that women, especially the strong-headed ones with a million and one responsibilities on their shoulders, deal with when they are faced with commitment in their personal life. It was interesting yet relatable to see Masaba being skeptical to take a leap about her romantic endeavours while she boldly makes choices about her career.
The show’s austere approach to depicting a light-hearted drama, oscillating between the subtleties of professional and personal relationships, proves to be the charm of the show. However, I have to say the show suffered from a lack of depth. The continuity of the episodes seemed weak, with a few scenes appearing to be vapid and lacklustre in terms of writing. They can simply pass off as fillers and perhaps, make you want to pause the show to continue it for a latter time. It might be far-fetched to call it a snooze fest, however, it did contain such scenes which made it hard to solely dedicate my attention to it.
The characters and their chemistry with each other shouldered the responsibility to qualify the show as entertaining. The writing appeared weak as there did not seem enough situations for the characters to grow a connection with each other resulting in their lack of attachment with the audience. The development in their storylines appeared forced and simply a means to compensate for the slow-paced buildout in the first half. Masaba and Neena’s bickering and typical mother-daughter combo stripped of glamour and opulent feelings seemed to have hit the nail with the audience in the first season. That, however, lacked in the second.
On the flip side, it expertly carried out their individual storylines. While Masaba dealt with a love triangle, Neena faced an old flame along with reviving her inner artist who wears multiple hats and manoeuvres in a world dominated by men. Although their stories had a strong place in the show in their individual sense, the fact that they had no connection whatsoever with each other, could strike as odd to the viewers. This might also prove to be a smart move on the makers’ part as it might resonate with a larger set of audience.
Verdict.
Is Masaba Masaba season 2 has the power to hold your attention for more than an hour so that you can binge-watch the entire show till the dawn of day? Perhaps, no. But can you come back from a long working day, brew yourself a cup of hot tea, get some snacks, snuggle in and turn on Netflix to chill for the rest of the day? Definitely. The underlining message of this criticism is that the show might find it hard to hold the interest of the younger demographic who seem more into fast-paced, gory action and passionate drama ventures. Nonetheless, it was enough to make me want to wait for the third season, which we would definitely get in the coming time. Or will we?
Cover Image: Netflix
