Time and again celebrities across the globe have been opening up about racial discrimination they have faced during their career. Recently, Chitrangda Singh revealed that she had lost out on projects due to her dusky complexion. She had revealed that she was specifically told the reason as it had come down to selecting between two people. After Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan and actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, ace designer Masaba Gupta too opened up on racism. She revealed more than her skin colour her schoolmates made fun of her parents. Masaba is daughter of veteran actress Neena Gupta and West Indian cricketing legend Vivian Richards.
Speaking to Journalist Barkha Dutt on her Mojo story, she said, “It was reactions of friends and acquaintances, people who you thought had your back that affected me. A friend of mine brought up the colour of my skin every time I asked her about what to wear, what subject to study or what sport I should play. I thought it was bizarre. However, more than the colour of my skin, it was about the relationship of my parents. I remember being called a b*stard child a lot. Lots of boys in my school will ask ‘is she the ba**ard?’ I didn’t understand what it meant and I went and asked my mother when I was young and she explained it to me by the book. She said this is what it means and be prepared to get more of this.”
Talking about the cruel reactions she faced, “I played professional tennis in school and I was permitted to come late to the class as I was playing for the state. The boys in the class will open my bag, take out my underwear and toss it around. They would make fun of my shorts because I was a bigger girl. They would be like ‘is it all black inside from the colour of her skin’. You think you outgrow it but you don’t.”
When Kamala Harris was chosen as the US Vice President-elect, Masaba had penned a long note on her being the first first black woman / the first person of south Asian descent & more importantly just the first woman to be VP elect. (ALSO READ: Masaba Gupta Runs On A Treadmill In Black Sports Bra And Shorts After Being Misdiagnosed With A Slip Disc; Tells Fans 'You Gotta Keep Moving')
Images Source: Instagram/masabagupta