Actress and fashion designer Masaba Gupta, daughter of veteran actress Neena Gupta, recently opened up about a painful chapter from her childhood. She revealed how her birth certificate was stolen from the hospital and leaked to the media, with the shocking intention of proving she was “illegitimate”.Masaba described the experience as brutal, not just for her, but especially for her mother, and recalled how the relentless scrutiny and cruelty from the media left a lasting impact on their lives.
Masaba Gupta recalls a painful experience
Speaking on the YouTube channel Mojo Story, Masaba said, “My birth certificate was stolen from the hospital I was born in, and then it was leaked to the press. It was on the front page of a newspaper because someone wanted to prove that I was an illegitimate child.” She explained that a section of the media even wanted to prove that her father was cricketer Viv Richards, which she called brutal.
Masaba explained how cruelty affected her mother
Masaba reflected on how the ordeal impacted her mother Neena Gupta, “I think I understood it when I was 9-10 years old. I didn’t fully understand it, but I had seen versions of it. I didn’t understand why it was done. It was cruel, strange and very bad for my mother. I can sit here and feel sad about it, but I don’t really know how she did it. People in general are very cruel, and I don’t understand why people had to do that. I keep hearing that ‘showbiz is like this’, but this is unacceptable.”
Neena Gupta chose to raise her daughter independently
After Masaba was born, Neena decided to raise her independently. However, she has often said that she doesn’t fully agree with the label ‘single mother’, as she received strong family support. In a past interview with Pinkvilla, Neena explained, “I was a single mother for maybe two years. Then my dad came. He left everything…my dad came, and he stayed with me. He looked after my household, me, and my daughter. He was my man. He was the man in my life.” Neena’s decision showed her courage and commitment to raising Masaba despite societal pressure.
