Masaba Gupta reveals she was unable to pay her cook during the pandemic: ‘Remember crying after every call’ – Times of India

Masaba Gupta recently discussed the difficulties she encountered managing her business amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The fashion designer-turned-entrepreneur talked about how helpless she felt as her company was on the verge of shutting down. Masaba disclosed that she was unable to pay her cook’s salary because of her financial difficulties.
During an interview with Faye D’Souza on her YouTube channel, Masaba opened up about the financial challenges she faced during the pandemic.She stated, “In 2020, when COVID hit, it was the worst time of my life. I don’t think I had even ₹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.’ Fashion was at the bottom of the food chain at that time.”
She also revealed that she used to cry as her five stores shut down in just two months. The designer shared, “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 ₹2 lakhs in the bank account. So we thought we will hold on to that ₹2 lakhs, keep making masks and keep our focus and cut our losses.”
Masaba is the daughter of veteran actress Neena Gupta and former West Indies cricketer Sir Vivian Richards. In 2015, Masaba tied the knot with Indian film producer Madhu Mantena. After separating in 2018, the couple filed for divorce in September of that same year. In January 2023, she got married to actor Satyadeep Mishra. In April 2024, the couple announced their pregnancy.