Neena Gupta Reveals Why She Discouraged Masaba Gupta From Becoming A Bollywood Heroine

Neena Gupta has spoken candidly about why she once discouraged her daughter Masaba Gupta from pursuing acting dreams in Bollywood, revealing how rigid beauty standards shaped her advice at the time. Before Masaba became one of India’s most influential fashion designers, she aspired to be a traditional Hindi film heroine, a goal Neena felt was unrealistic in that era of the Hindi film industry.

Neena Gupta on Masaba Gupta’s Acting Dreams

In a recent interview, Neena Gupta recalled that Masaba’s interest in acting was largely influenced by her surroundings. She explained that becoming an actor seemed like the obvious aspiration then, but she chose to be honest with her daughter. Neena told Masaba that she did not fit the conventional image of a Bollywood heroine of that time, referring to entrenched expectations around appearance and body type.

Rather than dismissing Masaba’s interest altogether, Neena encouraged her to consider acting training and explore character-driven roles instead of chasing leading heroine parts shaped by narrow ideals.

Masaba Gupta’s acting debut and career shift

Masaba eventually found her way to the screen with Netflix’s Masaba Masaba, playing a fictionalised version of herself. The series also featured Neena Gupta as her on-screen mother. Neena has since praised Masaba’s natural acting ability, admitting she was moved and surprised by her daughter’s performance.

Masaba later appeared in an episode of Modern Love: Mumbai and made a brief on-screen appearance in a dance number, balancing acting with her primary identity as a fashion designer.

Neena Gupta and Masaba Gupta today

While Masaba continues to straddle fashion and screen work, Neena remains one of the most respected actors in Indian cinema, reflecting on how honesty and realism helped her daughter carve a space on her own terms.