Govinda's career decline linked to superstitions, tardiness: Pahlaj Nihalani
What's the story
Film producer Pahlaj Nihalani has attributed Bollywood actor Govinda's career decline to his superstitious behavior and tardiness.
In a recent interview with Friday Talkies on YouTube, Nihalani, who collaborated with Govinda on films like Shola Aur Shabnam, Aankhen, and Ilzaam, shared this insight.
Despite praising Govinda as a talented actor and good human being, Nihalani highlighted that the actor's superstitions posed challenges for filmmakers working with him.
Superstitions
Nihalani reveals Govinda's superstitious behavior on set
Nihalani detailed instances of Govinda's superstitions, including predicting a chandelier fall on set and foreseeing fellow actor Kader Khan's drowning.
He also revealed that Govinda would instruct people to change their clothes based on his superstitions and refuse to do certain things on specific days.
"All of this, combined with his tardiness and gullibility, led to his downfall," Nihalani stated during the interview.
Professional missteps
'He did things that were against the profession'
At the peak of his career, Govinda was known for working on five-six films simultaneously, a practice that often resulted in him arriving late on film sets.
This caused inconvenience to the cast and crew.
Nihalani pointed out that Govinda would sign numerous B-grade and C-grade movies without much consideration, adding, "He said he was doing it for the money, and I told him that this is a dangerous way of thinking. He did things that were against the profession."
Trust issues
Lack of trust affected Govinda's relationships in Bollywood
Nihalani highlighted that Govinda failed to maintain lasting relationships in the film industry.
"This industry operates on trust. A relationship between an actor and a producer will only last if there's trust. He didn't maintain relationships with anybody," Nihalani said during the interview.
Despite these criticisms, Nihalani maintained that Govinda is one of the nicest individuals in the Hindi film industry, describing him as a great actor, an emotional person, and a dedicated family man.