When life gives you lemons, make lemonades, this perfectly suits actress, Neena Gupta. A woman who has never settled for less, never compromised on her ideologies and never bowed down to patriarchy and societal norms. Even when the situations around her were topsy-turvey, Neena believed in herself and moved ahead, facing all the challenges while standing with her head held up high.
Neena Gupta's life was never a bed of roses. From her engagement being called off to falling for an already married man, and later giving birth to his child, Neena had been through all. At the time when extramarital affairs and infidelity were tabooed subjects, Neena gave birth to her and Vivian Richards love child, Masaba, out of wedlock. Without expecting anything from anyone, Neena raised her daughter single-handedly.
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In her book, Sach Kahun Toh, Neena had written at length about her first marriage to Amlan Kumar Ghose. Sharing details about the same, Neena revealed that she met Amlan during an inter-college event, and the duo had fallen in love instantly. Neena used to secretly meet Amlan, who was a student of IIT Delhi as for Neena, having a boyfriend was "strictly forbidden".
Neena kept her relationship with Amlan a secret, but with time, the two got serious, and Neena decided to tell her mother about the same. Neena's mother wasn't happy about the same, and like every parent, she too tried to control her daughter, Neena and restricted her freedom.
Talking about the decision to get married to Amlan, Neena revealed that once when Amlan and his friends decided to go to Srinagar for a holiday, Neena too wanted to go along with them. But her mother didn't allow her and told her that she could only go with him after their marriage. Therefore, Neena got married to Amlan in an Arya Samaj mandir, in the presence of her family. Since Amlan's parents didn't approve of their relationship, Neena and Amlan didn't inform them about their marriage.
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After their marriage, Neena and Amlan went to Srinagar, and after returning, they both shifted to a small flat in Delhi. While Amlan started looking for a job, Neena enrolled herself for a master's degree in Sanskrit at Delhi University. Neena also continued with her theatre and dreamt of becoming an actor. But Amlan wasn't quite happy with the same as he wanted Neena to be a housewife.
Neena and Amlan realised that the two had different expectations from their lives. In her book, Neena revealed that "during the short time" of their marriage, she didn't fight with him much and has nothing bad to say about him. Within a year, the two decided to part ways amicably. Calling Amlan a "wonderful man", Neena shared that it was his uncle, who helped them with their divorce proceedings.
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Neena's autobiography, Sach Kahun Toh was released in June 2021.
