Did this out of compulsion: Neena Gupta on marriage with Vivek Mehra
Actress Neena Gupta shares how social pressure shaped her decision to marry Vivek Mehra, and her surprising outlook on love.
Actress Neena Gupta has made a shocking confession: She married chartered accountant Vivek Mehra “under compulsion”. In a recent conversation with Shubhankar Mishra, the veteran star was asked a simple question – did he marry for love? His answer was anything but simple.
Laughing lightly, Gupta replied, “This is a very difficult question.” She added, “I don’t understand love. I only understand love for my child. I don’t understand anything else.” The candor did not stop here. When asked why she married Mehra, she said that she “needed him a lot”, admitting that surviving in society sometimes meant playing by its rules.
She said, “Whenever I went somewhere, people looked at me in a certain way. But as soon as you get married, everything becomes fine. It’s a very sad thing.”
Why was Neena Gupta forced to get married?
Gupta’s comments reflect the intense scrutiny she faced as a single mother in the 1980s and 1990s. She raised her daughter, fashion designer Masaba Gupta, largely alone, following her relationship with former West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards. At a time when single motherhood was less accepted in India, Gupta often spoke of being judged and socially isolated.
She suggests that her marriage to Mehra in 2008 brought a sense of social acceptance – she says she learned this “the hard way”.
How was her life before marriage?
Before marriage, Gupta had already built an illustrious career in film and television. From critically acclaimed performances in art-house cinema to popular TV shows, she was known for choosing unconventional roles, just like her personal life. Her autobiography, Frankly, described in more detail the emotional and professional challenges she endured as a single parent in the public eye.
What is Neena Gupta working on now?
Rather than slowing down, Gupta has continued to reinvent himself. After the resurgence of his career CongratulationsShe has taken up a mix of streaming projects and films, such as panchayat and slaughter 2. From critically acclaimed performances in art-house films such as trikal popular tv shows like ‘Family’. At a time when many actors are sidelined, she remains firmly in the limelight on her own terms.