Sach Kahun Toh: An Autobiography
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- Create Date：2021-07-24 06:51:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Neena Gupta
- ISBN：0670095273
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Summary
In Sach Kahun Toh， actor Neena Gupta chronicles her extraordinary personal and professional journey-from her childhood days in Delhi's Karol Bagh， through her time at the National School of Drama， to moving to Bombay in the 1980s and dealing with the struggles to find work。 It details the big milestones in her life， her unconventional pregnancy and single parenthood， and a successful second innings in Bollywood。 A candid， self-deprecating portrait of the person behind the persona， it talks about her life's many choices， battling stereotypes， then and now， and how she may not be as unconventional as people think her to be。
Reviews
Rumana ZS
，
It is a good book written in a simple language。 The book managed to grip me to the storyline。 It had consistency and it felt like Neena was narrating or conversing and telling you her story。She has done justice to her endeavour of writing her truth。The book managed to evoke emotions in me， emotions of empathy， wonder， agreement， judgement even and eventually an acceptance of the person behind the pen and all that she had felt and lived as a human being。If Neena had never written this， not for he It is a good book written in a simple language。 The book managed to grip me to the storyline。 It had consistency and it felt like Neena was narrating or conversing and telling you her story。She has done justice to her endeavour of writing her truth。The book managed to evoke emotions in me， emotions of empathy， wonder， agreement， judgement even and eventually an acceptance of the person behind the pen and all that she had felt and lived as a human being。If Neena had never written this， not for her readers but for herself， maybe she never would have become so closely accepting and appreciative of her journey and her self。 May be this will be a book on her mantle as a reminder of her strength in her older year's。To me， as a young woman， this is inspiring， her journey of raising a duagther alone is inspiring， and more importantly， it is inspiring to read the courage that reflects in the book。 Well done Neena！！ 。。。more
Shruti Chhabra
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Every story is worth telling， and if the subject is Neena Gupta， controversy's very own child， then it's all the more enjoyable。 Gupta， the versatile and veteran actress， writes about her childhood， which to me as a reader and as a resident of Delhi， was fascinating。 She has dedicated solo chapters to her close ones， namely her mother， father， brother， daughter， and husband。 She talks about her journey her flings in Delhi in the first part; the second part is dedicated to her shifting to Mumbai， Every story is worth telling， and if the subject is Neena Gupta， controversy's very own child， then it's all the more enjoyable。 Gupta， the versatile and veteran actress， writes about her childhood， which to me as a reader and as a resident of Delhi， was fascinating。 She has dedicated solo chapters to her close ones， namely her mother， father， brother， daughter， and husband。 She talks about her journey her flings in Delhi in the first part; the second part is dedicated to her shifting to Mumbai， the struggle。 The professional disappointments and personal setbacks。 The book talks about her decision to become an unwed mother and be unapologetic about it。 Her career decisions sometimes worked in her favor， and many a time hit right back and made her fall flat on her face。 Her relationships with the co-stars and others。 Her successful stint as a TV director， producer， and actor。 Her happily ever after a long struggle in both professional and personal life。What I liked about the bookNeena Gupta's life hasn't been easy， it was arduous， but Neena has had survival instincts。 She is a strong-willed person who single-handedly and gracefully bore all the blows and moved on in life。 Her account seems truthful。 She doesn't mince a word， and neither she tries to hide her own mistakes。 She is a die-hard romantic who believes in love even after being unlucky in love umpteen times in her life。 Her writing is simple and easy to understand by most readers。What made me cringeHer writing is straightforward but amateurish。 There are a few incidents in the book that did not make complete sense to me。 I had a feeling that the story/ incident had more explaining to it than what was written in the book。 The 'Kamzor kadi' （weakest link） of the story was the editing。 There is repetitive use of incidents， lines， emotions， and words。 The book overall， though， gave me a better picture of the life of Neena Gupta-the woman and actress ahead of her time。 。。。more
Savita Ramsumair
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InspiringGrowing up I always liked seeing you onscreen especially since I was sure that you liked us West Indians。 You life is truly an inspiration for us independent women。
Aishwarya
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Before reading the book， I happened to watch a few promotional interviews and it seemed the interviews captured the essence of the book。 It is not to say that the book is not worth the read though。 This is a judgement call each reader shall make。 The recurring theme in the book is "know your worth" and once that is well ingrained in your mind， there is less chance that you will falter。 I enjoy the author as an actor and will be biased in my review of the book and hence will avoid commenting on t Before reading the book， I happened to watch a few promotional interviews and it seemed the interviews captured the essence of the book。 It is not to say that the book is not worth the read though。 This is a judgement call each reader shall make。 The recurring theme in the book is "know your worth" and once that is well ingrained in your mind， there is less chance that you will falter。 I enjoy the author as an actor and will be biased in my review of the book and hence will avoid commenting on that。 However， what I will like to say is that the author does not shy in sharing the wisdom she learned by making mistakes of her own in her lifetime。 It requires courage to live a life like that of the author's， keeping judgements aside。 There is a word of wise to all the women （and not restricted to any gender identity in particular）: keep your head high， do in life what you are passionate about， self esteem is not negotiable， to live in this dog-eat-dog world it is prudent and advisable to be worldly wise ！！ 。。。more
Maryann
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I think one of the reasons I really enjoyed reading this book was because I really didn’t expect much from it。 But I was pleasantly surprised as I found myself hooked to it as soon as I’d started reading。 Neena Gupta draws you in gently as she introduces you to her life as a young girl from a middle-class family growing up in Delhi， to a Sanskrit scholar in Delhi University， to passionate student in NSD， to an exceptional actor who went on to win two National Awards。 Gupta candidly talks about h I think one of the reasons I really enjoyed reading this book was because I really didn’t expect much from it。 But I was pleasantly surprised as I found myself hooked to it as soon as I’d started reading。 Neena Gupta draws you in gently as she introduces you to her life as a young girl from a middle-class family growing up in Delhi， to a Sanskrit scholar in Delhi University， to passionate student in NSD， to an exceptional actor who went on to win two National Awards。 Gupta candidly talks about her struggles-personal， and professional， the mistakes she made along the way， and how she juggled being a single mother， while working a demanding twelve hour job as an actor in Bombay。 I think one of the reasons I really loved this book was because Neena Gupta was never a “star”， she never got to be leading lady in a film， until very recently， and is a phenomenal actor who didn’t shy away from asking for work again after a long-ish break in her career。 Sach Kahu Toh is a beautiful glimpse into the bittersweet life and career of a remarkable actor who after years of ups and downs has finally reached a place in her life where she is happy， and satisfied with all that she has achieved。 -- 。。。more
Rucha Patkar
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I bought this book with a lot of hope and enthusiasm。 I wanted to read about Neena Gupta - a woman ahead of her times， strong headed and a woman of substance。 But the book was a disappointment。 The writing is a bit too amateurish。 Too many repetitions of sentences and incidences。 Apart from the average writing， Neena Gupta has made herself sound excessively vulnerable。 Autobiographies are supposed to be inspiring。 This is far from that。 I expected more from this one。
Jyotishree
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Enjoyed reading this。。 Got to know a lot about her life as I knew nothing at all。
Raghavender Sridhar
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Good read， struggles of a single parent
Deepika
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The book is as beautiful as Neena Gupta！❤️
Roshini
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Breezed through this one。 This was a refreshing read and， if you follow her on Instagram， you can see the same candour reflected in the book。 I particularly loved how honest she was about why she wouldn't talk about some things。The only reason I give it a 4 instead of a 5 is because I felt it could have been better edited。 Breezed through this one。 This was a refreshing read and， if you follow her on Instagram， you can see the same candour reflected in the book。 I particularly loved how honest she was about why she wouldn't talk about some things。The only reason I give it a 4 instead of a 5 is because I felt it could have been better edited。 。。。more
Mansee
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Neena Gupta has always been portrayed as an independent woman and reading this book showed how she became sWhat she became。。 what you know about people is what is portrayed by media but reading own perspective makes one realise what life experiences led her to what she is。 It's a good and honest read Neena Gupta has always been portrayed as an independent woman and reading this book showed how she became sWhat she became。。 what you know about people is what is portrayed by media but reading own perspective makes one realise what life experiences led her to what she is。 It's a good and honest read 。。。more
Sneha Chavan
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Writing is so simple and that is the plus point of this book。 You can't keep this book aside once you start。 The only thing felt dull was the last section of this book， felt repetitive。Best wishes！ Writing is so simple and that is the plus point of this book。 You can't keep this book aside once you start。 The only thing felt dull was the last section of this book， felt repetitive。Best wishes！ 。。。more
I C
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Neena is what she is。 Fearless。 I loved the fact that not only she has shared her life in thus book but she has also tried to give away advise wherever she could that she probably missed when she was starting her life or career。 I was always in awe of this woman and now I am a fan！ She s so relatable。 Super way of projecting her life in these pages。 Well done。 A must read！！
Pratibha Jain
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I am quite perplexed about this book。 I was really looking forward to reading Neena Gupta's autobiography。 She has been in limelight for her unconventional choices and I wanted to read her perspective on this。 After reading her book I think I do know more about her life but I think she hasn't delved much into the controversies and given her opinion。 While the book was honest， I don't think it was the complete story。 The timeline in the book also doesn't add up at a lot of places （for eg， she was I am quite perplexed about this book。 I was really looking forward to reading Neena Gupta's autobiography。 She has been in limelight for her unconventional choices and I wanted to read her perspective on this。 After reading her book I think I do know more about her life but I think she hasn't delved much into the controversies and given her opinion。 While the book was honest， I don't think it was the complete story。 The timeline in the book also doesn't add up at a lot of places （for eg， she was born in 1959 and graduated out of NSD in 1980 after pursuing BA， MA， and MPhil） and sometimes it was difficult to place incidents。 It could've been much better。 。。。more
Sahil Agarwal
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candid， informative， quite readable
Shrinkhala
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liked the anecdotal records given by the writer。 its a book of love and hope。 I loved the part where Neena Gupta is pretty candid about her childhood with small dreams that seemed unimaginable to reach at that time to achieving them all。
Divya Dutt
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Personal favorite。 I enjoyed each page of it because I have always loved her presence on screen and her personality。
Sonam Dubey
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I had huge hopes with this book but it turned out to be a disappointment because ，No。 1- Repetitive lines， incidents and emotions。No。 2 - Too many regrets （Not being judgmental but could have been portrayed better）。No。 3- The book begins well but ending of the book could have been handled on a more positive note。I am a reader who wants to feel good ， energised after reading and if you are in the same genre then please stay away as I can associate melancholy with this book。 I appreciate hard work I had huge hopes with this book but it turned out to be a disappointment because ，No。 1- Repetitive lines， incidents and emotions。No。 2 - Too many regrets （Not being judgmental but could have been portrayed better）。No。 3- The book begins well but ending of the book could have been handled on a more positive note。I am a reader who wants to feel good ， energised after reading and if you are in the same genre then please stay away as I can associate melancholy with this book。 I appreciate hard work which has been done on this book and the hardships of Neena Gupta， how she bravely conquered all the obstacles in her personal and professional life。 。。。more
Vidya
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*Disclaimer*: I am a Neena Gupta fan and my review might be biased。 With Neena Gupta， I have felt for the longest time that what you see is what you get。 Her book is certainly an extension of that - it flows beautifully and allows the reader glimpses into the life that she lived。 For all the hype around her relationship with Sir Vivian Richards， the book merely has a few pages dedicated to that phase of her life， and I thought that was amazing。 There is so much more to her life than that one cha *Disclaimer*: I am a Neena Gupta fan and my review might be biased。 With Neena Gupta， I have felt for the longest time that what you see is what you get。 Her book is certainly an extension of that - it flows beautifully and allows the reader glimpses into the life that she lived。 For all the hype around her relationship with Sir Vivian Richards， the book merely has a few pages dedicated to that phase of her life， and I thought that was amazing。 There is so much more to her life than that one chapter。 She is a strong woman with her own set of flaws and in each page you get to see that。 She isn't afraid of owning up to her mistakes either。 I enjoyed the read and if you， like me， are a fan， pick the book up。 。。。more
Ashwini Bhat
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Enjoying this fast-paced biography that reads like a work of fiction。 All Neena Gupta's trials and tribulations are described with a muted passion that keeps readers engaged and not repulsed/horrified/upset/stunned。 She has so many stories， that weaving them all into this one book has been quite an effort and sometimes the storylines loses itself and finds itself here and there。 It doesn't always read in a linear fashion， and just like a regular person's memory， travels back and forth in time。 T Enjoying this fast-paced biography that reads like a work of fiction。 All Neena Gupta's trials and tribulations are described with a muted passion that keeps readers engaged and not repulsed/horrified/upset/stunned。 She has so many stories， that weaving them all into this one book has been quite an effort and sometimes the storylines loses itself and finds itself here and there。 It doesn't always read in a linear fashion， and just like a regular person's memory， travels back and forth in time。 There are some details you want more of， some answers that are not there， but all in all a really great read。 You feel her sense of failure and success and the pain of frustration is something that snakes its way through the whole book。 Waiting to see if the end brings closure。。。 。。。more
Neeti Kamat
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I loved the book as I absolutely love her personality 。She owns it up as is。 A must read for all who like to wear one's heart on one's sleeve。 I loved the book as I absolutely love her personality 。She owns it up as is。 A must read for all who like to wear one's heart on one's sleeve。 。。。more
Bulbul
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Badly written。 Focuses on trivial stuff instead of larger incidents of Neena Gupta's life。 What is the point of writing an autobiography if you can't reveal everything？ Seems like a PR stunt。 Badly written。 Focuses on trivial stuff instead of larger incidents of Neena Gupta's life。 What is the point of writing an autobiography if you can't reveal everything？ Seems like a PR stunt。 。。。more
Rubina
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Loved it！！！！ I am no professional reviewer， just a girl who loves Neena Gupta and her movies。 For some reason I've read a biography after a very long time。 I mostly go for contemporary fiction。 But i am glad I didn't miss this one。 I knew I have to get my hands on it the moment i saw her announce her book。 It was hard to put down once i picked it up。 Her story is truly very inspiring。 We need more strong women like her to tell their stories。 Loved it！！！！ I am no professional reviewer， just a girl who loves Neena Gupta and her movies。 For some reason I've read a biography after a very long time。 I mostly go for contemporary fiction。 But i am glad I didn't miss this one。 I knew I have to get my hands on it the moment i saw her announce her book。 It was hard to put down once i picked it up。 Her story is truly very inspiring。 We need more strong women like her to tell their stories。 。。。more
Pradeep
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TV was still not universal。。。Serials ， limited as they were， were creating characters who were part of our life n discussions。 And most of all those were our childhood years。。。。Years we still yearn to go back to。 And Neena Gupta was a prominent person on TV in that era。 So it was with a wish to revisit 80s n feel nostalgic that I picked up this book。 The book gives a sketch of her life journey。。。Reveals the broad shades of the characters in her life including herself to the extent that is safely TV was still not universal。。。Serials ， limited as they were， were creating characters who were part of our life n discussions。 And most of all those were our childhood years。。。。Years we still yearn to go back to。 And Neena Gupta was a prominent person on TV in that era。 So it was with a wish to revisit 80s n feel nostalgic that I picked up this book。 The book gives a sketch of her life journey。。。Reveals the broad shades of the characters in her life including herself to the extent that is safely possible and hides the stories which may place her in an awkward situation coz she still has to live in this world。A good one time read which gives a rough sketch n timeline of her life and times which， though disappointing for readers wanting a bare all， is fair enough for me。 。。。more
Saraswathi Sambasivan
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Beautiful， simple and straight from the heart！ A woman who has lived life on her terms！ Absolutely loved it ！！
GA
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The book was simply unputdownable。。。。it has lessons too in perseverance， hard work， practicality for all of us。。。Neena truly had an eventful life and success came to her relatively later in life。。。。the book is shy of naming a lot of people for reason not entirely clear。。。for instance it does not even name NG's father's wife first name about whom only the best things are spoken about in the book， then why the secrecy。。。some names are easy to guess like Sharaang Dev as "Raghav" who calls off the w The book was simply unputdownable。。。。it has lessons too in perseverance， hard work， practicality for all of us。。。Neena truly had an eventful life and success came to her relatively later in life。。。。the book is shy of naming a lot of people for reason not entirely clear。。。for instance it does not even name NG's father's wife first name about whom only the best things are spoken about in the book， then why the secrecy。。。some names are easy to guess like Sharaang Dev as "Raghav" who calls off the wedding at the nth moment。。。。I was wondering who actor "Sohan" in the book was， if you figure out please let me know too。。。thanks 。。。more
Anuchopra
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I read the book loved her candid description 。 Just wondered y did she have to mention that she bought her brother a house。 It was no big deal for her。
Swati
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Awesome One of the best autobiography book I have read 。 So beautifully written 。 She is a great story teller 。
Geetanjali Chitnis
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Many， many thoughts on Neena Gupta’s autobiography ‘Sach Kahun Toh’ published by Penguin India。 I sat up till 3 AM reading the book， and finished it in one sitting - I could almost hear her voice read out every word。 She’s led an eventful life， but her candidness is not devoid of self-awareness。 I don’t get a sense of any real bitterness or her holding on to grudges which is remarkable despite her clearly articulating incidents that left her hurt， vulnerable & betrayed （& no， not the ones you th Many， many thoughts on Neena Gupta’s autobiography ‘Sach Kahun Toh’ published by Penguin India。 I sat up till 3 AM reading the book， and finished it in one sitting - I could almost hear her voice read out every word。 She’s led an eventful life， but her candidness is not devoid of self-awareness。 I don’t get a sense of any real bitterness or her holding on to grudges which is remarkable despite her clearly articulating incidents that left her hurt， vulnerable & betrayed （& no， not the ones you think these are）。 Would she have survived cancel culture today？ Perhaps not， and she’d probably be the first one to admit it。 Her words， like her attitude， just flow easily。 Sometimes seemingly uninhibited but fully aware of what she’s saying about others as well as herself。 This book is juicy but not in a way that is damaging or disrespectful。 I have to admit that on some occasions I tried really hard to identify people she mentioned （most names are changed） using the carefully worded details shared but let’s say she can’t be sued for defamation。 My only major grouse is the editing: there was a lot of repetition of entire lines/phrases/thoughts， and some inconsistencies in details like Masaba’s birthday: listed once as 2 Nov & once as 4 Nov 🤔 Anyway， I really enjoyed it and I’m glad she was so honest & engaging without letting melodrama get in the way。 What comes out very strongly is true acceptance of the fact that human beings are never fully good or bad no matter what you think。 。。。more
Kamakshi
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