Veteran actress Neena Gupta who has raised her daughter and fashion designer Masaba Gupta all by herself says that it was later she realized that she wasn't a single mother really when her father decided to help her raise kid. She also opens up about the hardships of being a single mom and how would society react to it. The actress in an interview to IANS on the sets of Indian Idol 11 said, "My father played a very important role in raising my daughter. He especially shifted to Mumbai to help me. I cannot express how thankful I am to him. He was my backbone during the most crucial time of my life."
Talking about the desire of having a normal family, Neena told Pinkvilla, "I had to lose a lot of things while we were together, I had no time to go to a parlour, watch a movie or do womanly things." Not having but accepting and standing by Masaba out of wedlock was the most difficult part. Neena further said, "A lot of people told me at that time - we will marry you so that your child gets a name. I said “what the f***. What name? I can earn and look after my daughter."
Masaba recently announced her separation with filmmaker Madhu Mantena after filing a divorce at Bandra's Family Court in March last year. Talking about how it affected her, Neena said, "Actually, it was Masaba who helped me come to terms with it. Initially, I couldn't accept it at all and it affected me."
Neena Gupta, recently in avideo was seen giving her piece of advice of not falling in love with married men. She begins by talking about how extra marital affairs start. "He tells you he doesn't like his wife and they are not getting along for a long time. You fall in love with him, he is a married guy. Then you say ‘why don't you separate'. But he says ‘no, no there are kids'."
She says they then start meeting secretly and go on holiday. That turns to spend nights together and ultimately "you want to marry him". Then, the woman wants the man to divorce his wife, but he says, "it's not so easy, there is property, there are bank accounts etc". The woman gets frustrated and thinks of leaving him. It ends with the man saying f*** off to you".
Neena was in a relationship with West Indian cricketer Vivian Richards in the eighties. They share daughter, Masaba. Later, Neena went on to marry Vivek Mehra.
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