Neena Gupta has seen the highs and lows of life before she reached where she is today. The actress always exudes positive vibes and inspires others to be strong and independent. In a recent interview, the film veteran spoke about her early days when she came to Mumbai with her then-boyfriend.

Neena Gupta used to work at Prithvi cafe for free food

In a candid interview, Neena Gupta bared it all. The actress shared how she came to Mumbai from Delhi in 1981 with her then-boyfriend as she didn’t have the guts to take that step alone. Talking about her struggling days, she said, “When I came to Mumbai, I used to make bharta at Prithvi cafe so that I get free dinner there. I had come here from Delhi with my boyfriend because I didn’t have the guts to come alone.”

The Badhaai Ho actress further divulged that back in the time, her boyfriend would tell her, “Sharam kar, tu Bombay naukrani banne aayi hai. Yeh karni aayi hai? (Have some shame. Have you come to Mumbai to be a servant and cook meals?)” She added that he would ask money from her for cigarettes and yet dared to tell her that she should be ashamed of working.

Neena Gupta says ‘never embarrassed to ask for work’

Since the Mast Mein Rehne Ka actress wasn’t afraid to do small chores, she would do any kind of work at NSD (National School of Drama). “We used to do everything. Right from sweeping the floor to everything. At my place, while growing up also, my mother was a Gandhian. We didn’t have a servant. We used to do everything at home ourselves. I’m not shy to do any kind of work,” Gupta divulged.

She recalled, “I told everyone, paisa maangne mein sharam hai, kaam maangne mein sharam nahi hai mujhe (I’m not asking people for money; I’m asking people for work and I’m not embarrassed about that).”