Masaba Masaba Season 2 review: Neena Gupta and Masaba Gupta's series gets hotter and definitely not messier

3.5/5

Neena and Masaba Gupta, the well-known mother-daughter team, return and decide it's time to restart their careers. While Masaba plans to put the past in the past and concentrate on the future of her brand and herself, Neena is getting ready to recreate a well-liked show from her past. Masaba understands that both she and "House of Masaba" are prepared for a complete branding. While she is ready to rule the fashion industry, life, as usual, has other plans for her. After meeting two really attractive guys, a pregnant new publicist, a Qaynaat, and a very thirsty mother, Masaba realises that her life is full of obstacles.

When Masaba Gupta stormed onto the screen by playing herself, we were left a little confused. Masaba Masaba is a fictional take on the real life of the ace fashion designer and her legendary mother, Neena Gupta. The first season touched upon Masaba's separation and how she tries hard to have a work-life balance but dunks into a hot mess. whereas, we see the chapter of Neena seeking work on Instagram and finally bagging the lead and iconic role in Badhaai Ho.

This time, however, Masaba Masaba takes a fictional trip where one could only wish to get into a weird love triangle. This time around, Masaba has a softer moment with her account manager, Dhairya (Neil Bhoopalam). When things are just about to get ahead, she bumps into Fateh (Armaan Khera), a handsome groom for whom she designs his wedding outfit.

On the other hand, Neena accidentally says in an interview that she plans to revive one of her iconic shows titled Fursat, which features her ex-beau played by Ram Kapoor. Despite gaining success with Badhaai Ho, the senior actor is seen trying to keep a hold on to it irrespective of the hiccups.

The eight-episodic series follows the plots of both mother and daughter, making them cross paths every now and then. This time, the relationship between Neena and Masaba is quite intense and we see them more at loggerheads. The season touches upon pre-marital pregnancy, and Neena, who has done that with Masaba, gets quite worried and a little judgmental if her daughter follows the same path.

However, they make up for those intensities with several lighter moments and mainly with the start of the show just starting with a bang with Kartik Aaryan. Oh yes, you might not be quite ready for the bizarre cameo, and it will leave you in splits instantly.

The fictional route for this season works extremely well and has made the show even better than the first season. When a woman tells a woman's story, we know how many instances will be touched upon, even without making the sequences questionable. This time, we have Rytasha Rathore's character Gia dealing with mental health issues, and it has just been shot with a lot of sensitivity.

The pressure of a biological clock ticking comes with a pre-marital pregnancy. When Masaba plans to freeze her eggs, she hires a fully pregnant Kusha Kapila as her PR. Meanwhile, we have Barkha Singh, who is a bridezilla in every sense and wants nothing but perfection in her wedding.

With the right balance, Sonam Nair has directed these episodes, which have been cut in such a way that we are left seeking more answers and curiosity.

With weddings as the backdrop, this season has become more vibrant in its outlook as well as its approach. Adding to it is the amazing supporting cast, which includes Neil Bhoopalam, Rytasha Rathore, Ram Kapoor, Kusha Kapila, Barkha Singh, Armaan Khera, and Kareema Barry.

Each and every character is given utmost importance, with them being the catalysts to the story, shouldered beautifully by Neena and Masaba.

The senior actor is shown not only as a performer but also as a filmmaker who tries hard enough to not be a puppet in the hands of the younger generation. Meanwhile, Masaba also takes a sort of oath to not be involved with any men and just be the "king" of her life.

She not only attains the monarchy in life but also becomes a crowned rapper. Oh well, that's the moment you don't want to miss as it is shot amazingly with Masaba and her younger version, Amariah. Oh yes, the mini version makes an appearance in this one too, and she nails the part effortlessly.

We have to give it to Masaba for just showing immense improvement, and it will not come as a surprise after seeing her play the beautiful and raw Saiba in Modern Love: Mumbai segment I Love Thane. We see more confidence in her as an actor, and she brings the Boss Lady game to her best.

Complementing her amazingly is Neena Gupta, and "sach kahu toh", it ain't a surprise. The actor shows the complexities of her character in a way that we keep the smile on her face throughout the series.

As Masaba calls her brand an affordable luxury, we see rich people having rich problems, and there's no compromise on that. They are shown so unapologetic that the money matters discussion is never even brought into question.

Well, kudos to that! Even as the series screams elitism and privilege, even if you don't resonate with anything, you will still enjoy it with a slice of cheese.

The plotlines are not new, but having real-life people bring them to life on the screen brings a lot more novelty than you expect it to be.

Well, if Stranger Things saved Netflix globally, Masaba Masaba Season 2 did it with a desi and hot messy touch.

Masaba Masaba has just gotten better with the second season, and you won't regret binge-watching it just like I did.