My father helped me raise my daughter Masaba during the most crucial time of my life: Neena Gupta

Neena Gupta has always been vocal and honest about raising a child being a single mother. She had given birth to celebrated fashion designer Masaba Gupta, who is the lovechild of Neena and the iconic West Indian cricketer Vivian Richards. And once again, Neena opened up about raising Masaba on Indian Idol 11.

Though she got stereotyped and was offered only negative roles in the early days of her career due to her public image and personal life, Neena said that her father stood by her and helped her raise her daughter during the "most crucial time of my life".

"My father played a very important role in raising my daughter, he especially shifted to Mumbai to help me. I cannot express how thankful I am to him. He was my backbone during the most crucial time of my life," Neena said.

Earlier, Neena had said that how it is important for girls to be careful about their public image because of which, they might not get the kind of roles they to portray.

"I suffered as an actress because of my public image. So I think it is important to maintain a certain image in the public eye to get roles in cinema," the actress had said in an interactive session with actor Rajit Kapur during Act Fest in Mumbai.

"The society has not changed even today and that is why I want to tell all the aspiring actresses especially -- do not be very candid at your professional space. I really suffered," she added.

She further said, "I had a child out of wedlock and that proved me as a strong headed woman which I am; but back then, a strong woman can only play a vamp! So I ended up playing mostly negative roles in films.

"Girls, if you want to smoke, do not smoke in public or do not be physically friendly to a male friend also... all these are perceived as a sign of strong, liberated, independent woman... that might just offer you a certain type of role," she said.

Earlier, when Neena was asked what she would do if she could go back in time, she said confessed that she would never have a child outside marriage.

"I would not have a child outside marriage. A child needs both parents. I have always been honest with Masaba so it did not affect my relationship with her. But I know that she always suffered for not having her father with her," Neena had said in an interview.

(With IANS Inputs)