MUMBAI: Film producer and former chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification, Pahlaj Nihalani, opened up about his equation with actor Govinda, which in turn was affected by Govinda’s equation with star Salman Khan. 

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In an interview, Pahlaj said that he stopped working with the actor because of differences with director David Dhawan, who helmed some of the most successful movies of the ’90s with Govinda.

In an interview with Bollywood Thikana, Pahlaj said that his equation with Govinda was further impacted after the actor began ‘rona-dhona’ about a Bollywood conspiracy against him, and named people like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan just ahead of the release of the film Rangeela Raaja, which Pahlaj had produced. 

Pahlaj attributed Govinda’s comments to the film’s failure, and claimed that distributors cancelled shows because of the controversy the actor had caused.

Asked why he didn’t work with Govinda for several years after doing Aankhen with him, he said in Hindi, “David Dhawan created a misunderstanding. He felt that alone was responsible for my hits, and when I started working with Anil Kapoor, he felt betrayed. So, he started backbiting about me to Govinda. He spread hate about me; actors would come and tell me what he was saying. We went our separate ways. Govinda even abandoned a film we were doing together because of what David said to him; we had already started shooting, I had to finish it with different actors.”

Some time later, Pahlaj and Govinda planned to work again on a film called Avtaar, but Govinda had some issues with the title and dropped out. Govinda also bizarrely claimed once that he was approached to star in James Cameron’s Avatar, and that he was the one who suggested that title to him. Pahlaj and Govinda eventually reunited on Rangeela Raja. 

He said, “It was a remake of a Rajinikanth film, and Govinda did a fabulous job in it. In my opinion, he did a better job than even Rajinikanth, and I was sure he’d win some awards. But just before the release, he went and started ‘rona-dhona’ in the press about being sidelined by the industry. He said Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan were responsible. At the last minute, my shows were cancelled. And look at him now, ghar pe baitha hai (he’s twiddling his thumbs at home)."

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Govinda has often spoken about a Bollywood conspiracy against him. But it seems like he’s solved his differences with Salman. They famously collaborated on the 2007 film Partner, and were recently seen shaking a leg on the same stage.

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Credits - The Indian Express