Trying her hand at voice-acting with Marvel’s Wastelanders, Masaba says recording in chaste Hindi made her confront her bias against the language
Masaba Gupta
After Masaba Gupta faced the camera for Masaba Masaba, she was convinced acting is one of the toughest professions. Two seasons of the popular show and a stint in Modern Love: Mumbai later, she went back to doing what she does best—fashion. Now, her creative spirit has led her to another role. The couturier-actor has been roped in for the voice cast of Marvel Cinematic Universe’s show Wastelanders: Black Widow. “I clearly like to pick the hardest things for myself. I was wiped out after recording for four hours,” she laughs.
In the Audible offering, Gupta voices the character of Lisa Cartwright. Sitting in her pyjamas in the recording booth and creating a different world without any visual aid was a new experience. She found the action sequences particularly challenging. “Imagine you are being tossed around, but in reality, you’re in the studio. So, I held my mouth close, tossed my head around, and pretended somebody was choking me. Even the face-off between Black Widow [Kareena Kapoor Khan] and me was challenging because [it demanded] heavy breathing.”
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Being a Marvel fan, saying yes to the role was a no-brainer. But voicing Hindi dialogues was a task. Gupta admits it made her confront her own bias against the language. “[There were times] when Mantra [Mugdh, director] and I wondered why some dialogues sounded the way one wouldn’t expect Marvel content to [do]. It sounded like a Hindi play. While recording, I realised how much we look down on our own language. I was amazed at how embarrassed we are of saying big words in Hindi.” She credits her actor-mother Neena Gupta for ensuring she is well-versed in shudh Hindi. “If she hears that I mispronounced something, she will throw me out of the house,” she says.
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