Neena Gupta turns 65 today, June 4, and what a ride it has been. Infamously known today as the short-tempered Manju Devi of Panchayat, Neena’s life has been no less than an adventure. With her raw talent and audacious decisions, she carved her niche in a world where girls like her were not always given a fair deal-independent, blunt, and truthful.
From Struggles to Stardom
Prior to Panchayat and even before Badhaai Ho (2018), Neena Gupta had to struggle hard. In an early interview, she had confessed that she used to take scripts just to pay bills. “I did movies I didn’t even like,” she had stated point-blank. “Some of the characters were so bad, I wouldn’t even watch them myself.” Still, work was work, so she went and did it anyway. That is the level of honesty that characterizes her.
A Comeback That Changed Everything
Everything changed with Badhaai Ho. In a time when most of her peers are left behind, Neena demonstrated that she was anything but done. Playing a middle-aged woman accidentally pregnant, she stole hearts and accolades. Overnight, she wasn’t merely “back”, she was everywhere. Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, Panga, and the Panchayat series were some of the films that followed. People couldn’t have enough of her and there is a reason for it.
A Personal Life Lived on Her Own Terms
But her professional life was not the only one that did not fit the bill. Neena’s personal life also did not play by all the rules. She lived a high-profile affair with West Indies cricket legend Vivian Richards, and out of this relationship was born her daughter, Masaba. Neena brought up Masaba as a single mother in a world far from forgiving. Marriage didn’t happen.
The Woman Behind the Screen
Now that she faces Panchayat Season 4, Neena Gupta is no longer an artist. She’s a fierce woman, a rebel, a mother, and a survivor. She lives a messy, real, and heartfelt life. She is memorable because of this.