Neena Gupta on being a single mother, her relationship with Vivian Richards: ‘Life was very, very tough’

 

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Speaking about her first marriage that happened when Gupta was 20 years old, she said her parents were “devastated” when it unravelled so quickly, especially because they did not want her to get married so early. “Our marriage was very secretive, because he was a Bengali and I am a Punjabi; he did not tell his parents, so not many people knew about it.”

The marriage taught the actor that one does not have to be bitter with someone, with whom they once shared a past, and loved. “How can you suddenly hate someone whom you once loved?” said the ‘Badhaai Ho‘ actor.

The actor was also in a relationship with former West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards in the late 1980s, with whom she had her daughter Masaba. She told the outlet that when she got pregnant, she was “happy, because I loved him”. “Then, I called him and told him, ‘If you don’t want this child, then I won’t have it.’ He said, ‘No, I would love for you to have this child.’ He was already married, so I couldn’t marry him,” Gupta said.

 

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When she decided to keep the baby, her family resisted. “My father was against it, my brother was against it. But, when I delivered, my father came and he was my biggest support.”

On how she found the strength to single-handedly raise her daughter, the ‘Uunchai‘ actor said, “I was blind in love, and young… [life as a single mother was] very tough. But, I am the kind of a person that if I have decided something, then I will do it. I never asked for any financial or emotional support from anybody.”

 

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The 63-year-old — who is now married to Delhi-based chartered accountant Vivek Mehra — also shared her take on love, stating that she does not believe there is “anything called ‘love’ between a man and a woman”. “I think it starts with lust, and then, if you get along, you become affectionate; then, it becomes a habit. I think the only love I have felt is for Masaba… For my husband, I will do a lot, but not ‘anything’ like I will for Masaba,” she admitted.

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