Neena Gupta never shied away from speaking her mind. She is well known for her outspoken personality. She is a phenomenal actress and has been active in the entertainment industry since 1982. In a recent conversation, Neena recalled an incident that took place years ago when she was shooting for the TV show Shrimaan Shrimati. For the unversed, Neena entered the show as a replacement for Archana, who was expecting at that time.
Neena Gupta reflects on being lied to by the makers of Shrimaan Shrimati
In a recent conversation with Zoom, being lied to by the makers of Shrimaan Shrimati. She shared that injustice happened to her in the TV show Shrimaan Shrimati. Archana played the role of ‘Prema Shalini’ in Shrimaan Shrimati. During the midway of the show, Archana discovered that she was pregnant. Thus, Neena entered the show as her replacement. She portrayed the role of ‘Sapna’. By the time Archana got pregnant, her character, ‘Prema’, had already become a fan favourite.
Thus, it was quite challenging for Neena to win over the love of the audience. Before entering the show Shrimaan Shrimati, Neena asked the makers specifically whether Archana would return after having her baby. According to Neena, the makers told her Archana would not return. In spite of knowing that it would be difficult for her to replace Archana’s character, Neena accepted the challenge. She said:
“Injustice happened to me in Shrimaan Shrimati. They said, ‘No, she will not come now.’ Archana is really a good actor; it is very difficult to replace her.”
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Things were going well until Archana made a comeback after her pregnancy. In the same interview, Neena shared that while she was in Delhi with a friend, actor Rakesh Bedi reportedly called her friend and mentioned that they would start shooting with Archana again. For the uninitiated, Dhurandhar star Rakesh Bedi played the role of Archana’s on-screen husband, ‘Dilruba Jarnail Singh’, a.k.a. ‘Dil’. The chemistry between Archana as ‘Prema’, a.k.a. ‘Doll’, and ‘Dil’ was the talking point of the show Shrimaan Shrimati.
Neena revealed that she first came to know that Archana was returning to the show from her friend. She shared that nobody from the production team had informed her about Archana’s comeback. According to Neena, the makers already knew Archana might return but deliberately did not tell her, because they feared she might refuse the replacement role. She said:
“It’s the producer and director’s fault. They might have known that Archana would return, but they thought I might refuse the role. They lied to me.”
Earlier, in an interview with Hindustan Times, Archana shared that Neena didn’t enjoy doing comedy scenes. While the doctors advised her bed rest due to her pregnancy, Neena played the role for a few months. Later, when Archana made the comeback, Neena’s character was tactfully written out of the show.
More about Neena Gupta
Neena Gupta has often grabbed significant attention for her turbulent personal life. She single-handedly raised her daughter, Masaba Gupta. Earlier, in a February 2026 interview with Times Now, Neena shared that it takes a lot of courage for women to raise their kids single-handedly. When Masaba was young, Neena used to often worry about how she would manage both her work and raising her child. It was her father who helped her during that phase.
Speaking about Neena’s professional front, it is worth mentioning that she has won many hearts with her impeccable acting. Over the years, she has appeared in films like Woh Chokri, Badhaai Ho, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, Goodbye, Uunchai, Vadh, Vadh 2, and more. She also starred in TV series like Khandan, Yatra, Shrimaan Shrimati, and more.