Vivian Richards’ daughter hits back at Ramiz Raja for ‘racist joke’

Masaba Gupta — daughter of the legendary West Indies cricketer Vivian Alexander Richards and actress Neena Gupta — hit back at former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja for laughing at a racist joke directed towards her parents.

Taking to X — formerly known as Twitter — Gupta voiced her dissatisfaction after Raja was seen chuckling at a racist joke aimed at her parents on a local news channel.

In her post, Gupta directly addressed Ramiz Raja, pointing out the lack of dignity in his actions and expressing her disappointment at witnessing him laugh on national television at a joke that the world had long ceased to find amusing.

She urged Raja to move forward with the times, underscoring her, her father, and her mother’s resilience in the face of insensitive remarks.

“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,” she wrote.

The controversy arose from a video in which a comedian made a derogatory joke about Vivian Richards’ skin tone. The comedian not only mocked Richards but also made racist comments, using the term ‘kaalia’ (meaning dark-skinned).

One of the hosts said: “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 guests, including Raja, were visibly amused, laughing at the inappropriate remarks.