IRA DUBEY, Actress

What made you choose acting as a career?

It’s in my blood; I can’t escape it even if I tried! I began acting on stage when I was six, with my aunt Lushin's theatre company in Delhi. The idea of make believe and dressing up fascinates every little girl and I was no exception. Growing up around mum (Lilette Dubey), I had a live playground with a constant influx of theatrewallahs in my home and at rehearsals. Even as a teenager, I would sit and watch rehearsals, sell brochures, help backstage and even usher people to their seats, just to absorb that world. I then majored in theatre at Yale. I did try my hand at a corporate job, but it ended up being a choice between the job and doing my first feature film, The President is Coming. So, the choice was simple!

How do you survive the male-dominated industry?
It’s better to accept what you can’t change instead of judging, condemning or trying to rebel against it. Bollywood works differently than any other film industry in the world, and heroines are not the same as heroes here. The first question my driver asked me when I told him I’m going to shoot for a film (Aisha) was “Hero kaun hai?” Straight from the horse’s mouth!

In a glamour-centric industry, how do you deal with your insecurities?
It’s true that this is a business about looks. In fact, directors are very clear about what they are looking for, at least the good ones, and when they don’t want you for a role, the reason could be as simple as you are too tall or too short for the part. It sucks and seems unfair, but that’s the truth. One needs to simply focus on their talent and remember that they are unique. As for surgical enhancements, I don’t condone them; if it makes you feel better about yourself, then do it. Just be prepared that it will instil further doubts in you. If you get too caught up in 'looks', the acting part goes out of the window!

Are there any professional advantages of being a woman?
None that I have faced; aside from getting clicked by photographers who click any pretty girl who carries herself well and is reasonably well known!

MASABA GUPTA, fashion designer

You are one of the youngest reputed fashion designers of contemporary India. How did your journey start?

I never wanted to be a designer. I was a typical confused teenager who had a finger in different pies. I went for the entrance test at SNDT College along with a friend because she did not want to go alone. I got a good score and decided to do the course. Fashion was never my first love. I wanted to be a singer and studied music in London. Then there was a phase when I wanted to be an actor. My mentor, Wendell Rodricks thought that I was ready for the fashion week after the exhaustive course in fashion design. I took the plunge, showcased my collection at the Lakme Fashion Week as a GenNext Designer and then there was no looking back.

You were in the limelight even before your collection hit the ramp. Did your parents’ star status ever affect you?

A lot of star kids believe in cutting themselves off from their parents’ image because they strongly believe in making their own mark. But for me, I am okay if there is a notion preceding me. I know for a fact that it helps to start off, but not to sustain. It’s your hard work and effort that help you keep up eventually.

Would you ever leave fashion for any of your other career choices?

I wouldn’t leave designing for anything else now. Even though it happened to me just by chance and I didn’t ever think I would be a designer, I am passionate about it now. Having a mentor like Wendell Rodricks and having people appreciate my designs and aesthetics in the fashion industry, I think I have created my space here which I would not leave. Also, I don’t compromise. If a client tells me she wants diamante on her bridal outfit, and if that doesn’t agree with my design sensibilities, I will not do it just because she wants it. I think I would have to take a back foot in any other career which I don’t want to do.