Jagmohan Singh Barhok’s POST
Neena Gupta needs no introduction for she has proved her mettle on many an occasion in films as an actress of yore. The actress is known to have caused a flutter in the silent pool of morality when as a unwed mother she gave birth to a female child later named Masaba. The father of the born child was none other than West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards. Surprisingly & interestingly, too, she did not force Richards to marry her. Instead, she ventured to explain things to her parents who were more than annoyed with her action. She stood the Test of Time with determination.
Neena Gupta, made shocking revelations leading to her affair with Vivian Richards and the trauma she underwent after the child’s birth in her book ‘Sach Kahoon To’. She further asserted that she always got a raw deal & was denied better roles.
The actress began her career with “Saath Saath” (1982) featuring Farooq Shaikh, Deepti Naval & Satish Shah. “Aadat Se Majboor”, “Gandhi”, “Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron”, & “Veere Di Wedding” are some of her other mentionable films. She showed her latent talent playing bold roles in “Utsav”, “Mandi” & “Rihai” with aplomb.
She featured in many serials like- ‘Meri Biwi Ka Jawab Nahi’ (2004), and ‘Kitni Mohabbat Hai’ (2009). She was also part of TV shows like ‘Khandaan’ (1985), ‘Yatra’ (1986), ‘Dard’ (1994 DD Tube), ‘Saans’ (Star Plus), ‘Saat Phere’ (2005). Also featured in “Daddy’ (1989) & “Drishti” (1990).Her film “Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda” starring Amrish Puri & Rajit Kapoor won National Film Award for Best feature film.(1992). “Sardar Ka Grandson”(2021) was one of her recent films.
Her comeback film ‘Badhaai Ho’ came to her like a shot in the arm. She received positive reviews from all quarters including appreciation for her work. Ayushmann Khurrana and Sanya Malhotra were also part of the film which turned out to be a box office bonanza. She was made to portray a challenging role, of a middle-aged pregnant woman in the comedy-drama .
“Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan” (2020) was another hit starring Ayushmann Khurrana , Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta & Gajraj Rao. The film revolves around a gay man & his friend. The film received Filmfare Nominations in five categories. She also made her presence felt in web series ‘Panchayat’ (2020). “Mirza Ghalib” (1988), “Zanoon” (1994),”Saanjhi” (2002) & “Jassi jaisi Koi Nahin” (2004) . She also appeared in television series “Masaba Masaaba”(200), based on the life of her daughter Masaba Gupta, a fashion designer. Also featured in Malayalam films.
