Veteran actress Neena Gupta's daughter, fashion designer and entrepreneur Masaba, opened up about struggling financially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In one of her latest interviews, Masaba also revealed that she did not have any money to pay her cook during the lockdown as her fashion business was on the verge of shutting down.
During an interaction with Faye D'Souza, Masaba, who is expecting her first child, said, "It was the worst time of my life. I don’t think I had even Rs 12,000 to pay to my cook. It was that bad. In March, 2020, the lockdown happened and we thought it was mostly for a day or two, and it was extended to 14 days. In those 14 days, my life completely turned around. I think it was end of March or the beginning of April when my business head said, ‘There is no money now. It’s done. Nobody is buying anything'."
Masaba added, "I remember crying after every call. My business head was confident, he was sure something would work out. But, we shut down five stores in two months. Some were franchises. Some were company owned. I think I had some Rs 2 lakh in the bank account. So we thought we will hold on to that, keep making masks and keep our focus and cut our losses."
Masaba was born to Neena and former West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards out of wedlock. She is now set to welcome her first child with husband Satyadeep Mishra. The two got married in January 2023, and in April this year, they announced their pregnancy.
Masaba owns the apparel line House of Masaba and cosmetics label LoveChild.
House of Masaba was started in 2009 and it offers a quirky spin on contemporary fashion. Last year, Masaba also unveiled a bridal line.
Masaba also started her own show called, Masaba Masaba on streaming giant Netflix where she opened up about her personal life as well as her business.
