Neena Gupta last month released her autobiography titled ‘Sach Kahun Toh’ which was launched virtually by Kareena Kapoor Khan. In the book, Neena made several startling revelations that took the internet by storm. She has also written about her first and very short-lived marriage with Amlan Kumar Ghose and revealed the childish reason she got married to him.
As per the book, Neena and Amlan met for the first time at an inter-college event and “hit it off immediately”. Amlan was a student of IIT Delhi and both had “secret” rendezvous’ either on the campus at his hostel or near her residence.
Amlan’s parents lived in a different city but his grandfather lived in Neena’s neighbourhood, which led to Amlan spending a lot of festivals and holidays with him, and also got a chance to meet Neena. In her book, Neena revealed it was “strictly forbidden” for her to have a boyfriend but the whole experience for quite thrilling. The couple, who often went on car dates spent a lot of time near IIT Delhi.
After keeping her relationship a secret from her mother for the longest time, Neena finally told her as she and Amlan got ‘serious’ about each other. Although her mother was not happy about their relationship, the couple still ended up getting married. Why, you ask? So that Neena could travel. Yes!
Amlan and his friends decided to go on a trip to Srinagar and Neena wished to tag along, however, her mother said she could go “anywhere with him” only after marriage.
In an interview with Brut India, Neena called it a childish reason to get married but said she has no regrets. “My mother was so strict that it was such a big thing to go out with boys for a trip. That was a very childish thing to do but I was childish. I don’t regret. It was part of growing up. That was me and it was okay. It was a very stupid thing to do but at that time, everybody is stupid,” she said.
Neena and Amlan tied the knot in an Arya Samaj ceremony with close friends and family in presence. Since Amlan’s parents were not in favour of their son having a relationship with a non-Bengali girl, the duo did not inform them.
Post their wedding, the couple finally went on their trip and returned “very, very happy,” she said. Neena and Amlan then shifted to a tiny flat in Rajender Nagar. As Amlan searched for a job, Neena completed her masters in Sanskrit from Delhi University. Neena also pursued theatre side by side and “started dreaming of becoming a theatre actor.”
But problems started brewing when “unfortunately,” Amlan “viewed things differently.” Neena shared that Amlan thought she would settle and be become a homemaker but she “had become a bit too ambitious and didn’t see herself “ever being a regular housewife.”
After realising that they both wanted different things in life, Neena said, “we mutually and amicably decided to part ways” within one year of their marriage during which they didn’t fight much and she doesn’t have a “harsh thing to say about him” till date. “Amlan was a wonderful man,” Neena said in her book.
Neena Gupta is now married to Delhi-based chartered accountant, Vivek Mehra. The two have been together for over two decades and tied the knot in 2008.
