Neena Gupta is like a strong thread running through several generations of Indian cinema, carrying talent, confidence, and honesty from one era to another. She has built a career by taking on roles that often feel close to real life, making her performances easy to remember.
She was born on June 4, 1959 (67 years old) in India and later trained as an actress before starting her professional career in films and television.
Neena is best known for her work in Hindi cinema and television, with acclaimed performances in projects such as Woh Chokri, Badhaai Ho, Mulk, Uunchai, and Panchayat.
Her role in Badhaai Ho brought her renewed attention from a wider audience, while Panchayat introduced her work to many younger viewers.
Among the biggest honours of her career is the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for Woh Chokri.
Quick Facts of Neena Gupta
| Full Name | Neena Gupta |
| Profession | Actress, Director, and Producer |
| Age | 67 years old |
| Date of Birth | June 4, 1959 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Zodiac/Sun Sign | Gemini |
| Birthplace | Yet to be updated |
| Current Address | Yet to be updated |
| Gender | Female |
Neena Gupta Early Life and Education
Neena Gupta spent much of her childhood in Karol Bagh, New Delhi. She grew up in a family that valued education.
She completed her elementary education at Bal Bharti School and later studied at Vidya Bhawan for her secondary education.
Her early years in Delhi later became an important part of her autobiography, Sach Kahun Toh.
Education
Neena Gupta studied at Janki Devi Memorial College, which is affiliated with the University of Delhi. The college also lists her among its prominent alumnae.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts, followed by a Master of Arts in Sanskrit from the University of Delhi.
She later completed an MPhil in Sanskrit, with research focused on stage techniques in Sanskrit drama. She also started a PhD in Sanskrit but did not complete it.
Her interest in theatre led her to the National School of Drama in New Delhi, where she trained as an actor.
| School | Bal Bharti School and Vidya Bhawan, Delhi |
| Alma Mater | University of Delhi |
| Highest Qualification | MPhil in Sanskrit |
Neena Gupta Personal Life
Neena Gupta is currently married to Vivek Mehra, a Delhi-based chartered accountant. The two first met on a flight while returning to India from London.
Vivek was travelling to Mumbai for work, and the meeting gradually developed into a relationship. They dated for around eight to ten years before getting married in 2008.
Their wedding was a small private ceremony in the United States. Neena was in her late 40s at the time. Her daughter Masaba was 19 when Neena and Vivek made their relationship official.
Work has often kept the couple in different cities. Neena has spent much of her time in Mumbai because of acting assignments, while Vivek has been based in Delhi for his professional work. Their relationship therefore operated as a long-distance marriage for long periods.
First Marriage with Amlan Kusum Ghose
Neena Gupta married Amlan Kusum Ghose, whom she met while studying for her master’s degree. He was a student at IIT Delhi.
Their marriage lasted for less than a year, and they later separated after realising they wanted different things from married life.
Relationship with Vivian Richards
In the late 1980s, Neena Gupta was in a relationship with former West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards.
They never married, but they welcomed their daughter, Masaba Gupta, in 1989. Neena later raised Masaba mainly on her own in India, while maintaining an on-and-off long-distance relationship with Vivian for some time.
Daughter
Neena Gupta has one daughter, Masaba Gupta, with Vivian Richards. Masaba was born in 1989 and was brought up mainly by Neena.
Masaba grew up to become a fashion designer and actor. She founded the fashion label House of Masaba and later moved into acting.
Family
Neena comes from a Delhi-based family. Her parents played an important role in her early years, while she also grew up with her younger brother.
Father
Her father was R. N. Gupta. Public accounts about her family describe him as a government employee. Neena later wrote about her parents and their complicated marriage in her autobiography, Sach Kahun Toh.
Mother
Her mother, Shakuntala Gupta, was a schoolteacher. She held master’s degrees in Sanskrit and political science before leaving her job to look after Neena and her brother.
Siblings
Neena had a younger brother named Pankaj Gupta. She has confirmed that her brother had died before she wrote her autobiography.
| Relationship Status | Married |
| Husband | Vivek Mehra |
| Children | Daughter: Masaba Gupta |
| Parents | Father: R. N. Gupta Mother: Shakuntala Gupta |
| Siblings | Brother: Pankaj Gupta |
Neena Gupta Career
Neena Gupta started working in films in the early 1980s. In 1982, she appeared as Abha in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi. A year later, she acted in two important films, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro and Mandi.
In Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, she worked with Naseeruddin Shah, Ravi Baswani, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapur, Satish Shah, and Satish Kaushik. She also appeared in Shyam Benegal’s Trikal in 1985.
During the following years, Neena continued working in Indian and international productions. Her film credits included The Deceivers in 1988, Rihaee in 1988, Drishti in 1990, Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda in 1992, and In Custody in 1993.
Television Success and Direction: 1990s
Television became an important part of Neena Gupta’s career. She appeared in several TV programmes and later took on work as a writer, director, producer, and actress.
One of her best-known television projects was Saans, which aired in 1998. Neena wrote and directed the series and also played Priya.
Her main co-stars included Kanwaljit Singh as Gautam and Kavita Kapoor as Manisha. The cast also included Shagufta Ali, Sushmita Daan, and Bharat Kapoor.
Her television work gave her the chance to take creative control behind the camera as well as perform in front of it.
Return to Major Hindi Films: 2018
A major change in Neena Gupta’s film career came in 2018 with Badhaai Ho. She played Priyamvada Kaushik, a middle-aged woman who becomes pregnant while her sons are already grown up. Her performance brought her back into the centre of Hindi cinema.
In the film, she worked with Gajraj Rao, Ayushmann Khurrana, Sanya Malhotra, Surekha Sikri, and Sheeba Chaddha. The success of Badhaai Ho was followed by more films and streaming films.
Panchayat and OTT Success: 2020 to 2025
In 2020, Neena Gupta began playing Manju Devi, the village pradhan of Phulera, in the Prime Video comedy-drama Panchayat.
The role became one of the most widely recognised characters from her later career. She continued playing Manju Devi through the show’s fourth season in 2025.
Her Panchayat co-stars include Jitendra Kumar, Raghubir Yadav, Faisal Malik, Chandan Roy, Sanvikaa, Sunita Rajwar, Durgesh Kumar, and Pankaj Jha.
During this period, she also appeared in films such as Panga and Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan in 2020, followed by Sardar Ka Grandson and Dial 100 in 2021.
Uunchai, Vadh and Other Films: 2022 to 2024
In 2022, Neena Gupta appeared in Sooraj Barjatya’s Uunchai as Shabina Siddiqui. The film brought her together with a large cast that included Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Sarika, Parineeti Chopra, and Danny Denzongpa.
The same year, she starred opposite Sanjay Mishra in Vadh. In 2023, she shared the screen with Jackie Shroff in the Prime Video film Mast Mein Rehne Ka.
Recent Work: 2025 to 2026
Neena remained active in films during 2025. She appeared in Anurag Basu’s Metro… In Dino, working with Anupam Kher, Pankaj Tripathi, Konkona Sen Sharma, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Ali Fazal, Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Saswata Chatterjee.
She also appeared in the 2025 romantic comedy Tu Meri Main Tera, Main Tera Tu Meri, alongside Kartik Aaryan, Ananya Panday, and Jackie Shroff.
In 2026, she reunited with Sanjay Mishra for Vadh 2. The film was released on 6 February 2026 and also featured Kumud Mishra and Amitt K Singh.
In 2026, Neena Gupta appear in Netflix’s new comedy series Chumbak. he cast includes Deven Bhojani, Manasi Parekh, Sumeet Vyas, Sumeet Raghavan, Arjun Bijlani, Helly Shah, Sandeepa Dhar, Anant V. Joshi, and Amyra Dastur.
Upcoming Projects
- Panchayat Season 5, 2026: Neena Gupta will return as Manju Devi with Jitendra Kumar and Raghubir Yadav. Prime Video has confirmed the fifth season as part of its 2026 lineup, but an exact release date has yet to be announced.
Neena Gupta Awards and Achievements
Here are the major wins and nominations of Neena Gupta:
Key Wins
- 1993, National Film Award: Neena Gupta won Best First Non-Feature Film of a Director for Bazar Sitaram.
- 1994, National Film Award: She won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Woh Chokri.
- 1999, Screen Award: She received the Best Actress in Television award for Saans, a series in which she also worked as a writer and director.
- 2018, Screen Award: Her performance as Priyamvada Kaushik in Badhaai Ho earned her the Best Actress, Critics Award.
- 2019, Filmfare Award: Neena won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for Badhaai Ho.
- 2020, Filmfare OTT Award: She won Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Female for the first season of Panchayat, in which she played Manju Devi.
- 2022, Filmfare OTT Award: She won the same Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Female category for Panchayat Season 2.
- 2024, National Film Award: Neena received the Best Actress in a Supporting Role award for Uunchai.
Key Nominations
- 2019, Filmfare Awards: She was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Badhaai Ho, while also winning the Critics’ Award for the same film.
- 2019, IIFA Awards: She received nominations for Best Actress for Badhaai Ho and Best Supporting Actress for Mulk.
- 2021, Filmfare Awards: She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan.
- 2022, Filmfare Awards: She received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar.
- 2023, Filmfare Awards: Her performance in Vadh earned her a nomination for Best Actress, Critics.
- 2025, IIFA Digital Awards: Neena was nominated for Performance in a Leading Role, Female, for Panchayat Season 3.
Neena Gupta Controversies
- Comments on Feminism in 2023: In November 2023, Neena Gupta drew criticism after discussing feminism during an interview with Ranveer Allahbadia. She said there was no need to believe in what she called “faltu feminism” and argued that men and women are not equal because of biological differences. She also advised women to become financially independent and value their work. Her comments led to mixed reactions on social media, with some people disagreeing with her understanding of feminism while others supported her views. In December 2023, Neena responded to the criticism. She said a small part of the longer interview had been used for promotion without enough context. According to her, this made the statement sound different from the broader point she was trying to make.
Neena Gupta Net Worth
Neena Gupta’s estimated net worth is around ₹70 crore ($7.3 million). Her annual salary is around ₹10 lakh, which comes from her films, TV shows, and brand endorsements.
| Net Worth (Approx.) | ₹70 crore ($7.3 million) |
| Salary (Approx.) | ₹10 lakh ($10,480) |
Neena Gupta Height, Weight, and Physical Stats
Below are the physical stats of Neena Gupta:
| Height | In centimetres: 161 cm In meters: 1.61 m In feet & inches: 5 feet 3 inches |
| Weight | In kg: 64 kg In lbs: 143 lbs |
| Hair Color | Dark brown |
| Eye Color | Black |
Neena Gupta Instagram, X, Facebook
 @neena_gupta | |
| X |  @Neenagupta001 |
 @NeenaGupta001 |
FAQs
How old is Neena Gupta?
Neena Gupta is 67 years old. She was born on 4 June 1959.
Who is the husband of Neena Gupta?
Neena Gupta is married to Vivek Mehra, a chartered accountant. The couple married in 2008.
Who is the daughter of Neena Gupta?
Neena Gupta’s daughter is Masaba Gupta, a fashion designer and actor.
Why is Neena Gupta famous?
Neena Gupta’s best-known projects include Woh Chokri, Saans, Badhaai Ho, Uunchai, and Panchayat.
Which character does Neena Gupta play in Panchayat?
Neena Gupta plays Manju Devi, the elected pradhan of the fictional village of Phulera, in Panchayat.
How many National Film Awards has Neena Gupta won?
Neena Gupta has received three National Film Awards. Her honours include Best Supporting Actress for Woh Chokri and Uunchai, along with an award connected to her non-feature film Bazar Sitaram.
Did Neena Gupta win a National Award for Uunchai?
Yes, Neena Gupta won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Uunchai.
