Mother's Day 2024: Neena Gupta to Soni Razdan, moms who have created an enviable legacy for their daughters

Many success stories in the entertainment industry seem straight out of a fairy tale But behind each milestone is perhaps the toil of many generations This Mothers Day let us look back at the life stories of moms whose struggle and hardearned success have inspired their daughters to be achievers in their own rightSeema Pahwa Manukriti PahwaSeema Pahwa had a thriving career ahead of her after starring in Indias first soap opera Hum Log in 1984 But then she took a long break to take care of her son Mayank and daughter Manukriti Once her children grew up Seema eventually returned to acting along with her theatrical roots by performing in plays like Saag Meat and directing Zee Theatres literary anthology Koi Baat Chale She has also featured in multiple TV shows and films like Gangubai Kathiawadi Bareilly Ki Barfi and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan She has also directed the film Ramprasad ki Tehrvi Manukriti too has made a name for herself on stage and made her cinematic debut in Yash Rajs 2018 production Sui Dhaaga where Seema also played a pivotal part She also assisted Seema during the making of Koi Baat Chale and is all set to create a legacy of her own on stage and in films just like her mother She is incidentally married to Shahid Kapoors stepbrother Ruhan and is Supriya Pathakrsquos daughterinlawLillete Dubey Ira DubeyMultifaceted actor and theatre director Lillete Dubeys theatre journey began in 1973 when she along with Barry John and peers cofounded Theatre Action Group TAG Over the decades she has worked in Indian and international productions on stage on television and in films like Zubeidaa Monsoon Wedding and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel among many others In 1991 she set up The Primetime Theatre Company and for over three decades she has showcased original Indian plays and regional adaptations for a global audience Her acclaimed body of work includes Zee Theatres teleplays like Adhe Adhure and Womanly Voices Her career and fulfilling family life have also given her daughters Neha and Ira roots and wings Ira is a trained actor and is juggling theatre productions like 30 Days in September Womanly Voices and Adhe Adhure with films like Aisha and Dear Zindagi She has also toured with the internationally acclaimed onewoman show 9 Parts of Desire directed by LilleteNeena Gupta Masaba GuptaIn her autobiography Sach Kahoon Toh celebrated actor Neena Gupta recalls how as a single mom she would take her daughter to work with her including on the set of Tipu Sultan which was tragically engulfed in fire Both mother and daughter have come a long way since then Neena who has appeared in cult films Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro Saath Saath Utsav starred in the clutterbreaking Doordarshan show Khandaan and directed a TV drama Saans is now also enjoying major commercial success via hits like Badhaai Ho and The Last Color Her work in the OTT show Panchayat has also been critically acclaimed Daughter Masaba after establishing herself as a fashion and beauty entrepreneur has also successfully ventured into acting with the popular Netflix show Masaba Masaba where Neena plays herself with trademark candor Both women exemplify success grit resilience and also welldeserved personal and professional triumphSoni RazdanAlia BhattSoni Razdan was an important part of newage cinema including Chowringhee Lane Mandi Saaransh Trikaal Khamosh Daddy Buniyaad and many more She also starred in the superhit Doordarshan show Buniyaad but a big mainstream break eluded her However right from her debut in Student of the Year her daughter cracked the code of commercial success Alia Bhatts work in Highway Raazi where she starred with Soni Gully Boy Dear Zindagi and more recently in Gangubai Kathiawadi has made her the darling of critics as well Her film company Eternal Sunshine Productions is also doing very well In 1977 famous Italian auteur Franco Zeffirelli had wanted to cast Soni as Mary in the miniseries Jesus of Nazareth She did not land the part but life came full circle when her daughter starred in an international production Heart of Stone in 2023Pooja Bedi Alaya FPooja Bedis iconic red dress from Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar is an unfading cinematic memory from the 80s This was a decade when she shaped popular culture with her appearances in a Baba Sehgal hit Dil Dhadke and also bold advertising campaigns She also worked on her late mother Protima Bedis memoir Time Pass is a successful columnist and took a long break from acting to raise her children Her daughter Alaya F earned a diploma in acting at the New York Film Academy made her debut in Jawaani Jaaneman and won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut Interestingly her mother had been nominated for a Filmfare Award for Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar but did not win Alaya is now experimenting with narratives like Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat along with commercial films And just like Pooja she too is on a unique creative trajectory