An old magazine interview featuring Govinda’s remarks about some of Bollywood’s biggest stars has resurfaced online, sparking a fresh debate over the actor’s confidence, career trajectory and controversial comments, reports NDTV.
A user on X recently shared excerpts from the 1990s interview, when Govinda was among Hindi cinema’s biggest stars.
At the height of his popularity, the actor appeared to question the staying power of contemporaries such as Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn.
“Let’s see how long Aamir, Salman, Shah Rukh, Ajay are going to last!” Govinda was quoted as saying in the old interview.
He also reportedly claimed that he did not need leading actresses such as Sridevi or Madhuri Dixit to deliver a hit.
Govinda even took a swipe at Amitabh Bachchan, questioning the veteran actor’s box office success at the time.
“Where has even Amitabh given a hit in the last ten years?” he was quoted as saying.
The resurfaced comments quickly drew reactions from social media users, many of whom pointed out the irony of Govinda questioning the longevity of stars who have remained prominent in Bollywood decades later.
“Everyone lasted, excluding him,” one user commented.
Another wrote, “Vanity makes you blind.”
A third user described Govinda as a “great all-round entertainer” but blamed his alleged arrogance and overconfidence for his career decline.
Another comment said, “His arrogance became the reason for his downfall.”
Govinda enjoyed enormous popularity during the 1990s, particularly with films such as Coolie No. 1, Hero No. 1, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Dulhe Raja.
Known for his distinctive comic timing, dancing and effortless screen presence, he was among the most bankable actors of his generation.
However, his career later lost momentum. His most recent film, Rangeela Raja, was released in 2019.
The resurfaced post also brought back Govinda’s old account of his association with Judwaa.
In a 2019 interview with Bollywood Hungama, Govinda claimed that Salman Khan had called him in the middle of the night and asked him to leave the David Dhawan-directed project.
According to Govinda, Salman told him to stop working on Judwaa and give the film to him.
He also claimed that Salman wanted to work with the same director and producer, Sajid Nadiadwala.
Govinda said the film, which had already gone into production, was subsequently stopped and eventually handed over to Salman.
Released in 1997, Judwaa went on to become one of Salman’s popular comedies and was directed by David Dhawan.
The resurfacing of Govinda’s old remarks comes amid renewed public interest in his personal life.
Rumours about trouble in Govinda and Sunita Ahuja’s marriage have circulated for more than a year.
The couple, who married in March 1987, have faced repeated speculation about their relationship.
Sunita recently withdrew a divorce case reportedly filed against Govinda last year. She has also made public comments about her husband amid speculation surrounding his alleged relationship with young actor Komal Rani Swarnakar.
Govinda and Sunita have two children, daughter Tina, born in 1988, and son Yashvardhan, born in 1997.
