Masaba Gupta, Madhu Mantena announce separation

Mumbai : Designer Masaba Gupta on Saturday announced that she and her husband and filmmaker Madhu Mantena have decided to separate on a trial basis.

The daughter of veteran actress Neena Gupta and former West Indies batsman Vivian Richards got married to Mantena in 2015.

The 29-year-old designer took to Instagram on Saturday to announce the news of separation with a long joint statement.

Masaba said that the decision has been taken mutually after consulting their friends and family members.

"Both of us have taken this decision after consulting professionals and our parents. The only thing we are ready to say right now is, 'what we both want out of life individually and separately is putting unnecessary pressure on the marriage and the love that we share. Hence we would take time off from each other and our marriage to figure out for ourselves what we want out of this life'."

The designer urged people to respect their privacy.

"We also want to say that this is a tough time for us and we want to really protect our privacy at this time. We still hope to find reconciliation in our individual paths and dreams and hence this privacy is important for us now."

Masaba said that they are "not strong enough to explain ourselves to even friends who deserve an answer from us".

"All we can say to each of them is give us time and give us love when we reach out to you. We now need a lot of it," she added.