It was a big relief for Ashvini Yardi — showrunner and producer of Masaba Masaba — when the trailer of her latest outing on Netflix dropped online. She had a hard time making people understand the concept of the show. In a chat with mid-day, she says, "People think it is a mockumentary, but it is a scripted show with a blend of fact and fiction. It was a unique format that I envisioned while working on it. Usually, there are too many no-go zones while making a biopic; the family often doesn't let you showcase things you want to and whitewashing becomes a norm. This format allows you to explore the grey areas."

Yardi was always clear on roping in a female director and it took her six months to zero in on Sonam Nair, who also contributed on the show as a writer. "Masaba and Neenaji are fierce, no-nonsense women and I was sure most men won't be comfortable with that vibe or [be able to] depict it correctly." She says Nair, who has previously helmed Gippi (2016) and Kaafir (2019), had the right quirk for it.