Neena To Masaba: You Never Fit The Bollywood Heroine Mold

In an industry often shaped by appearances and expectations, veteran actor Neena Gupta has spoken candidly about the difficult but defining conversations she had with her daughter, designer and actor Masaba Gupta, while guiding her through the realities of Hindi cinema and creative life.

Speaking to ANI, Neena Gupta recalled an early moment when Masaba was considering acting.

Addressing whether she supported or directed Masaba’s eventual move into fashion, Gupta said the shift was never a planned decision.

“It was not her decision. It just happened. Circumstances were like that,” she explained, adding that Masaba initially did not want to act but considered it because others around her were doing so.

Gupta said she chose to be honest with her daughter about the industry’s rigid standards at that time.

“I told her, look, your face is like this, your body is like this. You won’t get the heroine of a Hindi film because you don’t look like that. It’s a fact. You don’t look like the heroine of a Hindi film of that time,” she said.

Gupta added that she encouraged Masaba to consider character roles and formal training if she wanted to pursue acting.

Despite her practical advice, Gupta admitted she was deeply moved by Masaba’s performance abilities.

“I cried when I saw her work. She is such a good actor. She’s very natural,” she said, acknowledging her daughter’s talent.

Reflecting on their Netflix series ‘Masaba Masaba’, Gupta described the experience as unexpectedly seamless.

“It was real, so real. She was playing Masaba, I was playing her mother,” she said.

Initially concerned about Masaba’s lack of acting experience, Gupta said she was taken aback by her daughter’s confidence on set. “I was shocked. She was like a pro.”

Neena and Masaba share a close bond and successful individual careers in acting and fashion.

In the late 1980s, Gupta made a trailblazing personal choice to raise Masaba as a single mother following her relationship with legendary West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards.

Over the years, both have carved distinctive identities in their respective fields.

Today, Neena Gupta continues to earn acclaim for performances in various projects such as ‘Panchayat’ and ‘Badhaai Ho’, while Masaba Gupta has established herself as a prominent fashion designer through her brand, House of Masaba. (ANI)