Neena Gupta says people are ‘afraid’ to ask Viv Richards if they were in love: Why all of you ask only me?

Neena Gupta talks about the time when she met Viv Richards

• Neena Gupta reflects on her past with Vivian Richards
• She chose single parenthood, never seeking financial help
• Gupta urges others to think deeply before raising a child alone

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Looking back at her past, Neena Gupta speaks with the calmness of someone who has made peace with her choices.

In a recent interview, Neena Gupta reflected on her relationship with former West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards — a chapter of her life that was once intensely scrutinised. When asked if they were in love, Neena Gupta responded with her familiar mix of humour and deflection. “Go ask him.

Everyone is afraid to ask him. Why all of you ask only me?" she laughed.

But once the laughter settled, she answered more directly.  conversation with journalist Shubhankar Mishra, “I think we were in love. Although we were together for only a short while, the time we spent together was wonderful."

Neena Gupta has often said she never considered the relationship “wrong”. Marriage, however, was never practical. “It wasn’t practical. Either I would have had to leave behind my job and go to the West Indies, or he would have had to give up his career and come to India; neither of which was possible."

When Neena Gupta chose to have Masaba Gupta, she admits it was a decision driven by emotion rather than calculation. “But, at that time, I was blind in love. In such a scenario, who listens to others? Who stops to reflect (on their decisions)? Who listens to their parents? It was my decision to have a child. Then I asked him (Vivian) if he was okay with me giving birth to his child, and he said yes," she recalled. She also shared that Vivian Richards never hesitated to acknowledge Masaba Gupta publicly as his daughter.

At the same time, Neena Gupta does not romanticise single parenthood. “It’s not good for the child either," she said honestly, urging others to think deeply before making similar decisions. Raising a child alone, she acknowledges, is not easy.

Also Read: Neena Gupta reveals she was abused on a film set, said, "Director ne maa-behen ki gaali di but paison ki jarurat thi isly..."

What stands out most is Neena Gupta’s sense of pride. She revealed that she never sought financial help from Vivian Richards. “I didn’t feel like it. I had so much pride. I never even asked my parents for money. I took only whatever they gave, particularly since they were anyway against me becoming an actor. They always felt that acting wasn’t a good (respectable) job. Since I came to Mumbai against their wishes, how can I ask them for money?"

On the work front, Neena Gupta was most recently seen in the thriller Vadh 2, released in theatres on February 6, 2026.