Neena Gupta's struggled to raise Masaba Gupta as a single mother. The actress' baby daddy, Viv Richards was an absent father.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleNeena Gupta is currently in the spotlight due to her recent Netflix release Chumbak. In the series, the actress essayed the role of a wife who decides to divorce her dementia-stricken ex-husband despite still being in love with him. Much like her on-screen character, Neena's real-life love story was far from being simple or straightforward. In a recent interview with Zoom, she said she felt sorry for her daughter, Masaba, for growing up without her father, Vivian 'Viv' Richards.
Notably, the West Indian cricketer never married Neena and stayed aloof from her and their child, Masaba. The latter was reportedly upset about having an absent father, and her mother would tell her not to expect much from him, as he wasn't someone who could be tied down by relationships.
During an interview with ETimes, Neena recalled Masaba becoming upset about her father's lack of involvement in her life until she was in her 20s. At that time, Neena told her that her father was "not a family man", due to which a lot couldn't be expected of him. Besides being aloof, Viv also couldn't "express his emotions" and wasn't tech-savvy, which further widened the communication gap. Neena Gupta was quoted as saying:
"I told her how her father is not a family man and how he was like this and this. In the beginning, she would feel bad that Vivian was not in touch with her till the age of about 20, but then he got in touch. His problem is also that he is not net savvy, and so it is very difficult to get in touch with him."
Neena revealed she and Viv Richards maintained an "on-and-off" relationship for several years. They had their fair share of good and bad moments; however, she never held any grievance against him. She recalled that their relationship was not like that of a typical long-distance couple, as Viv lived with his wife, Miriam Richards in the West Indies while Neena raised Masaba on her own in India. Regarding her equation with him, Neena stated:
"Our relationship continued on and off for a few years, and we had some beautiful moments and also some ugly ones. It was long-distance and a very different kind of relationship."
Masaba noted during interviews that it was really tough for Neena to raise her as a single mother in Mumbai at that time. Although Viv remained away, Neena stated that he was "as involved as possible" after their daughter was born. However, by involvement, she meant just a call on Masaba's birthday. Despite the hardship, Neena gave up on her desire for love and marriage and dedicated herself to her daughter's upbringing until she turned 18.
In her autobiography, Sach Kahun Toh, Neena Gupta revealed facing severe financial troubles while being pregnant with Masaba in 1989. As her due date approached, Neena had only Rs. 2,000 in her bank account. Even then, she did not ask for a penny from her baby daddy, Viv Richards.
Neena was worried about money because a C-section at that time cost approximately Rs. 10,000. Luckily, just days before her delivery, a tax reimbursement of Rs. 9,000 arrived, bringing her total balance to Rs. 12,000.
After several years of living her life as Masaba's mother, Neena finally got to experience being a wife, since her July 2008 marriage at 49 to New Delhi-based chartered accountant Vivek Mehra. Neena's life is now complete with the arrival of her granddaughter, Matara, who was born to Masaba Gupta and actor Satyadeep Mishra on October 11, 2024.
What are your thoughts on Neena Gupta's struggles as a single mother? Let us know.
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