"Sickening to see you laugh": Masaba Gupta on Ramiz Raja's reaction to racist comment about mother Neena, Vivian Richards
Nov 15, 2023
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 15 : Actor and celebrity designer Masaba Gupta has criticised former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman and ex-cricket player Ramiz Raja for laughing at a racial remark that was made about her mother, Neena Gupta, and father, Vivian Alexander Richards, a former West Indies player.
Taking to X, Masaba wrote, "Dear Ramiz Raja ( sir ) grace is a quality few have. My father,mother and I have it in spades. You have none. Sickening to see you laugh on national TV in Pakistan at something the world stopped laughing at about 30 years back.Step into the future. All 3 of us are here with our chin up. #ramizraja."
https://twitter.com/MasabaG/status/1724753155156783300
Her tweet came as a reaction to a video that went viral on social media. The video in question is a clip from a chat show in Pakistan that featured Ramiz Raja, a former cricket player and the former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board. He is seen giggling at a crude remark made by a woman who seems to be a guest on the talk show. The disparaging comment sparked outrage on the internet, which called out Ramiz Raja as well as her for laughing at it.
The woman's quip about feeling sorry for Sir Vivian Richards for "taking away" Neena Gupta is captured on camera. She went on from there. She spoke some "racist" things, and the attendees seemed to find it funny. She called Sir Richards "kaalia," which made them laugh off the situation.
When the host of the show asked the comic if she followed cricket or not, she answered, "I do watch cricket matches and my heart broke when Vivian Richards went into a relationship with Neena Gupta. I wrote a couplet then. 'Jo ladkiyan khud ko kehti hain malika-e-aliya, Unko fir milta hai Mr Kaliya.'"
The video was shared on a fan page, who wrote along with the video, "So everyone is calling out Razzak, Gul, and Afridi for that Aishwarya Rai saga, and that's a good thing, but nobody paid attention to this, this channel was making fun of Nina Gupta, and they were passing racist remarks on Sir @ivivianrichards"
Neena Gupta and former West Indies player Vivian Alexander Richards had Masaba out of wedlock and have lived separately throughout their life. Neena welcomed her daughter Masaba on November 2, 1989. She raised her alone. In 2008, Neena got married to chartered accountant Vivek Mehra. Vivian visited India in January 2023 to attend Masaba's wedding with Satyadeep Misra.
