Neena Gupta opened up about her decision to not enter into a marriage of convenience when she was pregnant with her daughter, Masaba Gupta. Neena, who got pregnant during her relationship with Sir Vivian Richards, had Masaba while she was unmarried.
Speaking with Sonali Bendre, Neena Gupta said that even though she had offers of marriage, she chose not to settle just for the sake of it. She raised daughter Masaba Gupta as a single mother.
“I was too proud of myself. I said I will not marry because I need a name, because I will get money. Like about this person who is gay. That was offered to me, that ‘you will get a name and you do what you want’. I would never do that,” she said.
Neena also admitted that Sir Vivian Richards had a role to play in her decision to not marry anyone else at the time. “I was still attached to Vivian, although we met very seldom. But there was a connect for quite many years. There was a connect with Masaba also. We used to go for holidays together sometimes and whatever time Masaba spent with him or I spent with him was very nice. There was no problem because we were away from his house. He has a wife and he has children. I will always cherish those memories,” she said.
“Also, I was not interested in anybody else. I was very happy, that, okay, the circumstances are such that we can’t get together, but whatever time we spend together is very nice. I was also very happy that Masaba can spend time together. Later on, she grew up. Then, you know how things happen,” she added.
Neena has spoken about her unconventional pregnancy and single motherhood in her recently released autobiography, titled Sach Kahun Toh. The book also explores other aspects of her personal life, including her childhood in Delhi and her father’s second marriage. She also talked about her struggle to get work in the film industry and her second innings as an actor.
Masaba and Neena came together for a semi-autobiographical Netflix series titled Masaba Masaba. A second season has been greenlit by the streaming platform.
