Neena Gupta
Image Credit: Insta/neena_gupta

Bollywood actress Neena Gupta expressed her condolences at the death of her close friend and co-star from the 1983 cult classic 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron', Satish Kaushik.

The actress shared a heartfelt video on her Instagram handle, reminiscing about their long-standing friendship and the memories they shared together. Gupta also extended her support to Kaushik's wife and daughter during this difficult time.

In her autobiography 'Sach Kahun Toh' (If i tell the truth...), Neena Gupta had revealed that Kaushik had offered to marry her when she was pregnant with Masaba. He had told her that if the child was born with darker skin tone, they could say it was his, and they would get married without anyone suspecting anything.

Gupta, hailing from a conservative family, dated the swashbuckling West Indian cricketer Viv Richards during the 1980s at a time when he was father to two kids. She got pregnant with Masaba at that time, and decided to have the baby. It was this phase of her life that Gupta was referring to. Gupta and Richards later parted ways. The couple maintain a cordial relationship and Richards turned up at Masaba Gupta's recent wedding to Bollywood actor Satyadeep Misra.

Kaushik, who died on March 9, made his directorial debut with the film 'Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja' (1993), which was a commercial failure.

However, he went on to direct super successful films like 'Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain' (1999), 'Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai' (2001), and 'Tere Naam' (2003). He has also directed and acted in several Punjabi films.