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‘Govinda was on his best behaviour during Salaam-E-Ishq, wanted to prove himself,’ recalls Nikhil Advani

Nikhil Advani shared his experience of working with Govinda in his 2007 film Salaam-E-Ishq.

Govinda in a still from Salaam-E-Ishq.

Many people from the film industry have spoken about Govinda’s tardiness during the 1990s. However, in a recent interaction, filmmaker Nikhil Advani shared that his experience of working with the 90s superstar was quite different during the 2007 film Salaam-E-Ishq. According to Advani, Govinda, who was trying to make a comeback at the time, was on his “best behaviour.”

Speaking to Mashable India, Nikhil recalled showing a trial of Salaam-E-Ishq to late actor Irrfan Khan, who praised Govinda’s performance. Advani said, “For me, Irrfan, Govinda, and Akshaye Khanna are the people I had the greatest pleasure of directing. They don’t take their craft seriously. Govinda would ask me, ‘How do you want this scene—Italian, Mughlai, Indian, Chinese?’ He would put out a buffet of ideas, and I got him at a good time. He was at a very low at that point. He was shooting for Partner and Salaam-E-Ishq simultaneously, so he was behaving himself. He wanted to prove everyone wrong.”

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In stark contrast, producer Vashu Bhagnani had once shared a different perspective of working with the star during a conversation with YouTube channel Reviewron. Bhagnani recalled how, for Hero No. 1, the entire unit of 75 people sat idle in Switzerland for three days because Govinda hadn’t arrived yet. After waiting for three days, Govinda arrived and finished most of the work in a single day.

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Shakti Kapoor, in an earlier conversation with Bollywood Bubble, also shared how the Raja Babu actor would come to the set at 9 pm for a 9 am shift. He said, “The one thing that has changed about him over the years is his punctuality. Earlier, he would arrive at 9 pm for a 9 am shift. Now, he arrives at 8:30 am for a 9 a.m. shift.” He added, “Insecurity aadmi ko kaha se kaha pahucha deti hai. (Insecurity changes people). Now he is very professional and entire industry knows it.”

Govinda recently made an appearance on The Great Indian Kapil Show, announcing his upcoming big projects after a six-year hiatus. While not much is known about these projects, they are expected to mark his comeback of sorts. In the past, Govinda tried to make a strong return to the industry with Nikhil Advani’s Salaam-E-Ishq and Partner. While Partner was a success, Salaam-E-Ishq failed at the box office, and after that, most of his projects did not leave a significant mark.

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