‘No One Can Tell Me What to Wear, What to Do’
Neena Gupta takes pride in being a grandmom who wears shorts
Recently, the indefatigable Neena Gupta was trolled for wearing shorts at the airport. Was the veteran actor daunted? Far from it!
“Do I look like someone who will get scared of trolls?” Neena asked this writer. “I’ve been criticized all my life for what I do. ‘Don’t do this, don’t do that.’ Pataa hai, main jab chhoti thi main wahi karti thi jo mujhe manaa kiya jata tha (when I was a child I did exactly what I was told not to do). So please don’t try to tell me what to do. I have the legs to carry off shorts, so why not?”
Neena remains a bohemian at heart. On 2 November 1989, she gave birth to her daughter Masaba, whose father, the legendary West Indian cricketer Vivian Richards, was not married to Neena. By becoming a single mother, Neena sent shock waves through the conservative corridors of the Indian entertainment industry. Looking back, the Badhai Ho actress has no regrets about her decision. However, she wishes Masaba had a father at home with whom she, Neena, could share parenting responsibilities. “Having Masaba was the best decision of my life. But if I had to live my life again I’d want to have a family and a husband to support my parenthood. I’d want the child’s father with me, not so far away,” she said.
“What I’ve got is most precious,” she emphasised. “Sure, I made sacrifices. But it’s all worth it. Masaba is the best thing to happen to my life. Now, I am thrilled to be a grandmother who can carry off shorts.”
