Many Indian cricketers find solace in the powerful women of Bollywood, be it Virat Kohli or Ravi Shastri. But one overseas cricketer, who was considered one of the best of his generation, also found love in India's premier entertainment industry.
West Indies suffered the ignominy of getting eliminated from the 2022 T20 World Cup in the first round itself, indicating a massive drop in their stature in the sport. But there was a time when the Caribbean dominated the sport, especially in the 1970s and the 1980s. And leading the team then was none other than Sir Vivian Richards, who found love in Bollywood, but it was not something he chose to pursue.
The Viv Richards and Neena Gupta love story
Neena Gupta, a veteran actress made her name for herself in the industry, both on the small and big screen. But early in her career, she met Viv and went on to have an affair. The two later decided to go against conventional society, and he fathered a child, Masaba Gupta, out of wedlock.
By the time the two of them met in the 1980s, Sir Richards was already a two-time World Cup Champion, having won the coveted trophy in 1975 and then 1979. When he was the captain of the Windies team, he met Neena at a party in Mumbai and they instantly connected with each other. According to reports, discussions of their love started making the rounds after this party.
Breaking stereotypes
Sir Richards was married and had two children when he met Neena Gupta. But despite this, they decided to go ahead with their relationship, which ended with Neena bearing his child. Back in the 80s, the stereotypes that existed in the world, and especially in India, meant that a child out of wedlock, and with a married man was sure to attract unwanted criticism. But Neena chose to brave the unwanted eyes and voices and gave birth to Masaba, who is now one of the leading fashion designers in the world.
'Masaba Masaba'
Neena's daughter Masaba was born in 1989. Even after her birth, there were never talks of a marriage between Vivian and her. Much like most single mothers, Neena had to face her fair share of criticism in society because she gave birth to a daughter without tying the knot. However, Neena stood with her head held high and raised Masaba alone.
Decades later, Masaba still lives with her mother. The pair are an iconic mother-daughter duo themselves. Neena and Masaba also appeared in the Netflix show 'Masaba-Masaba'.
How she found love again
During an interview, Neena revealed that her parents were very old and traditional, and she knew that her parents would never agree to her relationship with Richards. But when they came to know that she was going to be a mother, their negative attitude towards her changed for the better.
She was rumoured to be in relationships after her tryst with Sir Richards ended, but none of them panned out. But in 2008, she found her one when the news broke that she was getting married to Delhi-based chartered accountant Vivek Mehra. He is also very close to Masaba, and in an old interview with ETimes, Vivek talked about his bond with his stepdaughter.
“With Masaba, it’s excellent. These days she is taking a lot of my time as we discuss work. I help and advise her and that shows she trusts me. And I too have equal trust in her,” he said. He also revealed inside details of his relationship with Neena, “We went out for four-five years before tying the knot. And while Masaba was a little concerned in the first few days, she took to me. I am a very likeable guy.”
Information About Indian Actress Neena Gupta
Neena made her acting debut with Saath Saath in1982. She later acted in films such as Mandi, Rihaee, Drishti, and Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda. Neena also bagged several international projects such as The Deceivers, In Custody, and Cotton Mary, as well as popular TV shows like Mirza Ghalib and Saans.
Neena was previously married to Amlan Kusum Ghose while she was completing her graduation but they got divorced later. She was later engaged to Pandit Jasraj's son Shaarangdev but they called it off later.
