Govinda was born into a Punjabi family to former actor Arun Kumar Ahuja and singer/actress Nirmala Devi. His father acted in many films during the 1940s. A notable film include Mehboob Khan's Aurat (1940). He also produced one film which yielded low returns. Shortly after his health failed. The family, living in a bungalow on Mumbai's upmarket Carter Road, moved to Virar — a northern Mumbai suburb, where Govinda was born. He is the youngest of six children and was given the pet name Chi Chi which means little finger in Punjabi,[8] the language he spoke at home.