Masaba Gupta gets real with Sania Mirza about divorce and society’s judgment: “People think something’s wrong with her…” |

Popular Indian designer Masaba Gupta is known for her offbeat choices– be it for fashion or her personal life. Masaba is married to actor Satyadeep Mishra and the couple have a daughter named Matara together. The celebrity fashion designer was earlier married to filmmaker Madhu Mantena, however, their marriage could not survive the test of time and the duo decided to part ways amicably.That was in 2019, and now, roughly six years later, Masaba recently opened up about her divorce with Sania Mirza for the latter’s podcast titled ‘Serving It Up With Sania’. Talking about how it is considered a taboo even today and people’s judgment that comes along with it, especially for women, Masaba said, “When I got divorced, I was like, ‘What? What’s the big deal? I’m making a life choice. I was 28 when I got divorced, and everybody else makes it a much bigger deal than it actually is.”

Adding to it and taking from her own experience, Sania said, “In this part of the world, people think the ‘D word’ is something dangerous. They think you were not focusing on your home, because you were busy out in the world trying to achieve something.” For the unversed, ace tennis star Sania Mirza too was earlier married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and they have a son named Izhaan together. However, amidst rumours of their separation came the news of Shoaib getting married for the third time to Pakistani TV actress Sana Javed in 2024. That’s when news about Sania and Shoaib being divorced also broke in early 2024, shocking their fans.Reflecting on how getting divorced can be a good thing, Masaba further shared in the candid podcast, “People think, ‘Something’s wrong with her’. We are not encouraging divorce, it’s a lot of turmoil, but it saves you from a lot of things in life.”How Masaba dealt with her divorceThe popular fashion designer has been open and honest about her personal life and struggles in the past too.Back in 2020, in an interview with MidDay, Masaba opened up about her untimely divorce with Madhu and how she dealt with it. “Everyone has a perception if you are divorced. I got so busy with work that I didn’t even have the time to realise what was happening in my personal life. I had my own way of dealing with it,” Masaba had shared.She further added, “I didn’t give myself any time to process my divorce. So my uncle told me, ‘Why are you on this treadmill? Can you just process this and then move on?’ I think people take it for granted, that, okay ‘Masaba is strong, she will manage’. I have changed drastically because I allow myself to not just grieve and feel down. I take two days off even when I feel celebratory. But no one knows what you are going through until you are going through it yourself. People understand how silly they were being, when they deal with it themselves.”3 ways to cope with the grief of divorce1. Allow yourself to grieve fully. Acknowledge your pain and take sometime off to deal with your emotions. Sometimes, journaling your thoughts can also help you deal with your feelings.2. Speak to close friends or family whom you trust. Or seek professional support, if needed. Remember, it is okay to not feel okay.3. Have new routines to rebuild stability in your life. Shift your focus on yourself and healing.