I’m not scared because I’m not in the wrong, why should I be scared?
I’m not scared. I’m scared of God only nobody else and a little bit scared of Masaba.
This is my also a message to people that we think they will live forever, we never think that
they won't be there so it's always important to ask because we are very embarrassed and shy
We laughed about it that time also it was still in a kind of a humour also
Badhaai Ho has been that break I always wanted for the past 30 years but I never got
Hello Neenaji welcome to Pinkvilla.
Hello, so nice to see you and talk to you.
Same here ma’am. Same here.
Firstly much, much congratulations for Sach Kahun Toh. I have said this in my review also
that it's probably one of the best autobiographies I’ve read in recent times and I really mean
it. I’m not saying it because I’m speaking to you.
I am so happy.
And we'll get on to speaking about that but before that I want to start this interview by
asking you what's the recipe of your Baingan ka bharta I want to know that
Oh my god. Leave that.
So, everybody who doesn't know about this Neenaji used to for a very brief period of time in
her life she used to make this Baingan ka bharta in Prithvi Theatre where Prahlad Kakar
used to run the show, how is that period like you know from that to now this?
Well, it had its own charm and struggle and happiness and sorrows
that was a different time but I prefer this time.
But ma'am so you're speaking about the book there's a lot that you have spoken right about
from your career to your relationships to your family but my most favourite part about the
book is where you spoke about your parents and your brother you know you spoken so
much about them, ma'am. Right from you know your father managing you
know two families to your mother you know wanting to end her life
knowing about your father's other wife and of course that beautiful part where you speak
about how so many people had been at the Pankaji's funeral which made you so emotional.
Ma’am tell me were these chapters the most difficult for you to write?
Yeah, they were very difficult to write because while writing I sometimes felt that I know
nothing about them. I know such little about them because when your family, your parents,
your brother, sisters are there you never think that lets talk openly and then when they are
not there suddenly you say oh god why didn't I mean I was very open with my father
because he lived with me last many years even then when I was writing the book when
I was on his chapter I thought why didn't I talk to him and ask him exactly what happened
when he got married? Why did he have to get married? All those things I didn't ask and now
there's nobody to tell me I mean whosoever will tell me will add their own bit in it but
yeah it is very important and it was quite dramatic quite not traumatic it was sad writing about
them because I realised that I wish I would know more about them. I wish I could have talked
to them when they were alive so this is my also a message to people that we think they will
live forever we never think that they won't be there so it's always important to ask because
we are very embarrassed and shy. I was very shy to ask inspite of my father living with me for so
many years here in Bombay I was very shy to ask him these questions you know ,even my
brother so it was sad that I didn't know much about them after I left Delhi.
In the chapter, How I Met Vivian you've obviously addressed to the part about your
relationship with sir Vivian Richards but my favourite part from the chapter is the last line of
the chapter where you say Masaba is everything involved but ma'am you have also
mentioned in the chapter that I won't get into details because you know you want to
protect Masaba and you at this point in time. Does that phase still scare you ma’am?
No, it doesn’t scare me at all, like I said. there are parts even about my parents I have not written
Yeah.
There are parts about my struggle time also I have not written. I’ll tell you frankly I have
written what I felt like. I didn't think what will happen if I write this or write that. You see I’ve
been wanting to write for the past 15 years I had signed twice with the publications to write
but I couldn't write because I started and I got stuck I said rubbish I don’t want to write.
This time maybe because of the lockdown and I was there in a nice place and all. This time it
flowed, it flowed sometimes I used to like record while I was talking, walking, sometimes
there was a little park in my complex, I sit there. Sometimes I won't write for three, four days,
five days and then there's a chapter in like two hours so it is not I’m not scared because I’m
not in the wrong. Why should I be scared? I’m not scared.
I’m scared of God only nobody else and a little bit scared of Masaba.
There's another interesting part in the chapter, in the book where you speak about how
Satish Kaushik offered to marry you during that time and he is your friend for so many years.
How is that? I mean do you guys laugh about it when you all think about it today?
We laughed about it that time also it was still in a kind of a humour also you know.
You know how Satish is and I was like I had tears in my eyes because it's amazing that a friend wanted to
help you in the hour you know when you needed him or her the most and him saying that is
like I’ll never forget because it’s the most beautiful thing a friend can say to help you out,
just stand by you, basically. See there are things you want to do, it’s not necessary that you
do but there is a feeling, you know that I have a feeling that I have a friend in
Satish Kaushik, he will always stand by whenever I have a problem I can go to him. There
are many friends like that I mean there's I have a friend called Deepak who's also like
that we don't talk for ten, ten years but I know he's there. I know Kaushik is there.
And there are many emotional bits about your friends also in the book that you have spoken
about which really comes across very strongly that you really earned good friends in the
business. While obviously you spoken about the bad part of the business also including
casting couch and some directors lashing out but you've also spoken about the good parts of
the industry where there is there are fans, friends who have stood by you when you needed
them the most one of them being Soni Razdaan.
Yes, yes, yes, absolutely. I have few friends who are like my family, it’s great and fortunately
my friend Soni had two daughters, has two daughters and my friend Anu Ranjan has two
daughters’ similar kind of age group so it was very helpful to find out if she has cold what to
give her? What to give when she has fever? How long should she be allowed to stay out?
Comparing notes with them so they have been born and brought up together actually so
which was a very great help with their friends today so yeah, I have people have helped me
a lot like I have told about Bashu Chatterjee I didn’t know him
A lot of people call me, a lot of people were very bad also like the media
was very bad to me but that's their job to be bad to me so
No, no, no ma’am we love you. You know that/
I don’t know. Some definitely don’t love me 100%.
Yeah, but people have been very kind. Yeah.
Ma’am there were a couple of instances in the book where you have spoken about your love
and your relationship and of course about marriage. Was it ever a moment ma’am in your life
where because of your past experiences you will become averse to love or averse to marriage?
No, no, no, I never got averse to love or marriage because of my past experience.
I didn’t learn despite my past experiences. I did the same mistakes again. In life. We all do that huh
That Instagram post that I am a good actor and I am looking for parts and Badhaai Ho these
two parts do you consider them to be or literally has changed your life?
I think Badhaai Ho has changed my life.
Badhaai Ho has been that break I always wanted for the past 30 years but I never got and
I tell Amit Sharma that I will come and touch your feet. Everything changed after that.
I became a good actress, a good person after that.
I remember speaking to you about this once and you told me
you're working on it, are you still working on the sequel of Saans?
No one is picking it up so what’s the point?
Nobody wants it yeah; I have everything ready but there are no takers so I don't know
I’m sure your fans are still there. I have grown up watching you ma’am.
I know I did this beautiful pilot paid by the channel,
changed a few things according to the channel, made a beautiful pilot.
The in charge there feels like it won't work in today’s time.
I mean they know better.
Very sad but.
Thank you, thank you so much ma'am.
This was a lovely, lovely conversation. I hope you don't want to tell me you can go, namaste.
Never. I would say you can come, namaste.