Neena Gupta: The Actress That Dared To Choose The Road Less Travelled

Neena Gupta On Being A Single MotherNeena Ji has been unapologetic being a single mother. While the society already makes a big deal of raising a child alone, Bollywood drama adds more to it. However, the actress didn't care about anyone or anything and went ahead to raise her daughter alone. For the unversed, Neena and legendary West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards were dating when she got pregnant. Since Richards was already married, he chose his way, leaving actress having a baby out of the wedlock. Neena had a beautiful daughter Masaba Gupta.Neena's father stepped in to take care of Masaba while the former could earn and put money on the table. In an interview, the actress recalled how one of her friends offered to marry her just so that her daughter could have a 'name.''I don't know what I would have done without Masaba. She has nobody else other than me. I have enjoyed her despite going through a lot of hardships. I have not lived a normal woman's life, as I had to work and spend time with her, but it has given me so much solid satisfaction that it was all worth it,' she said in an interviewPerhaps, it is the unabashed, candour, and resilience that makes us admire Neena Ji as a mother.

On The Work FrontNeena Gupta broke the internet when she posted about looking for more opportunities in her field. "I live in Mumbai and working. I'm a good actor and looking for good parts to play," read the post. While fellow Bollywood actors and her daughter Masaba proudly shared the post, but they also threw light on the film industry's way of not considering senior actors with immense talent and experience.Probably that post was the turning point for Gupta. She starred in critically-acclaimed movies and web-series like Badhaai Ho, Shubh Mangal Savdhaan, Panchaayat, Masaba Masaba, and more. Neena Ji will be seen next in thriller 'Dial 100' alongside Sakshi Tanwar and Manoj Bajpayee.We wish the stunningly talented actress a very happy birthday.