‘Go ask Viv Richards if he loved me’: Neena Gupta answers if relationship with cricketer was real, why she never married him

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“But, at that time, I was blind in love. In such a scenario, who listens to others? Who stops to reflect (on their decisions)? Who listens to their parents? It was my decision to have a child. Then I asked him (Vivian) if he was okay with me giving birth to his child, and he said yes,” she recalled, adding that Vivian was also okay with telling the world that Masaba was his child too.

Neena Gupta and cricketer Vivian Richards with their daughter Masaba Gupta at a music release event in Mumbai. (File photo/Neeraj Priyadarshi)

Why Neena Gupta never took money from Vivian Richards to raise Masaba?

Revealing the reason behind them not ending up together, Neena said, “It wasn’t practical. Either I would have had to leave behind my job and go to the West Indies, or he would have had to give up his career and come to India; neither of which was possible.” When asked about the rationale behind not taking any financial help from Vivian to raise Masaba, she said, “I didn’t feel like it. I had so much pride. I never even asked my parents for money. I took only whatever they gave, particularly since they were anyway against me becoming an actor. They always felt that acting wasn’t a good (respectable) job. Since I came to Mumbai against their wishes, how can I ask them for money?”

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Was theirs a proper love story or just a casual relationship? “Go ask him,” Neena said, laughing. “Everyone is afraid to ask him. Why all of you ask only me?” She, nonetheless, added, “I think we were in love. Although we were together for only a short while, the time we spent together was wonderful.”