Neena Gupta on marriage advice she gave to daughter Masaba: ‘Wahi gheesi peeti baatein boli…’

Taking reference from Manju Devi, her Panchayat 2 character, Neena Gupta shares the tips she shared as a mother with daughter Masaba, and the time she shut someone off.

Neena Gupta and Masaba played versions of themselves in Masaba Masaba together. (Photo: PR)

Neena Gupta is back in business to win hearts with Panchayat 2. The actor plays Manju Devi, the pradhan of Phulera village. While she is the village head in name, it’s her husband who is the de facto pradhan. Last season, towards the end, we saw Manju Devi promising to do more as the village head, but she barely reached the panchayat office in the current season.

Explaining her character, Neena Gupta said that as a woman, Manju Devi will not change overnight. “It’s going to be a slow process. Aise achanak kuch nahi hoga. Also for her, she just wants her daughter to get married, and that everything remains fine at her home. She is not ambitious or driven and has no hunger for power. When people do appreciate her for anything, she gets a little pompous but otherwise, she is a very simple character.”

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She also added that the makers managed to have a fine balance with Manju and her husband Bhushan (Raghubir Yadav). “While he is usually a chauvinistic man, when it comes to their daughter, he has a very modern approach. She, on the other hand, wants her to get married soon as she is at the ‘right age’. That values and balance can also be seen in Rinky’s personality, and that’s the beauty of it.”

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Given she too is a mother to a daughter, we quizzed Neena Gupta on the words of wisdom she shared with Masaba about marriage and relationships. “Wahi sab galat cheezein boli maine. Wahi ghise peeti baatein jo har maa bolti hai (I told her all the wrong things, the same talk mothers give to their daughters),” she replied with a laugh.

Talking further about Manju Devi’s graph in the show, the actor said that she is like any woman out there, who can turn into a ferocious tigress when needed. Hence, be it cracking a financial deal for the Panchyat or sending off the MLA after he insults the village, Manju Devi was at the forefront. “People say that women are stronger than men but it’s not the case. However, whenever there is a crisis, women will go all out like a tigress, and fight the world. That’s how every woman has been created,” she said.

Also Read | Masaba Gupta says she’ll never have the guts to have a baby out of wedlock: ‘Don’t want the extra pressure’

On a final note, we asked her to share an incident when like Manju Devi, she too shut off someone in real life. “Abhi thode din pehle hi kiya (I just did it a couple of days back). While on a Zoom call with a journalist for Panchayat promotions, they asked me something personal. I replied what I didn’t want to talk about this but they kept at it, elaborating it further to just irritate me. Fir maine jo dhamkaya (I then scared her off),” Neena laughed, adding that it’s not always possible to tell people off. “Kabhi kabhi khoon ka ghoont pee ke chup rehna padhta hai (I have to sometimes just bear it all and keep quiet).”

Panchayat 2 is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Sana Farzeen

Sana Farzeen is an assistant editor at Indian Express Online and covers Entertainment across platforms. Apart from writing articles, features and opinions, she enjoys interviewing celebrities on video. An alumna of Calcutta University, Sana has previously worked with the Times Group and Tellychakkar. You can contact her at sana.farzeen@indianexpress.com. ... Read More

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