In 1989, actor Neena Gupta made headlines when she chose to have a child outside of marriage with West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards.
In her autobiography Sach Kahun Toh, Neena opened up about the decision and how it changed her life.
She recalled feeling "giddy with joy" when she first found out about her pregnancy, but also felt it was important to inform Vivian. At the time, he had already returned home. After a long phone call, Neena shared that Vivian supported her decision to have the baby, which gave her the confidence to go ahead.
Neena first met Vivian at a dinner party hosted by the Maharani of Jaipur, shortly after watching him play. They connected instantly but lost touch when he returned home, as they hadn't exchanged contact details. They met again at the Delhi airport and soon began a relationship.
When she found out she was pregnant, Neena received mixed advice from those around her. Some suggested "abortion", while others warned about the challenges of single motherhood. But after considering everything, she decided to continue with the pregnancy.
She said, "Vivian and I had an affair, and I got pregnant. Some people advised me to get an abortion. Others cautioned against the perils of being a single parent. I listened to everyone patiently. They were all very concerned, I know. But once I was back home and alone, I asked myself: What do you think? How does this make you feel? The answer was: I was giddy with joy."
She continued, "I also understood that I wasn't the only person who had a say in the situation. The baby's father, Vivian, had an equal right. So, I called him one day and spoke to him for a long tome," she wrote and added, "'I'm pregnant', I told him. 'Would you have a problem if I were to have your baby?' Vivian sounded happy and said I should go ahead. This assured me that I was doing the right thing. As much as I wanted this child, I also did not want to go ahead if the father wasn't on board. So, it came as a relief when Vivian supported my decision."
She said Vivian was "as involved as possible" after Masaba's birth. Their relationship continued for a few years, going through different phases. At the time, Vivian was already married, and their long-distance relationship had its ups and downs.
"Our relationship continued on and off for a few years and we had some beautiful moments and also some ugly ones. It was long distance and a very different kind of relationship," she concluded.
Neena raised Masaba as a single mother. Years later, she got married at 59 to Vivek Mehra, a chartered accountant.