When Govinda said that it was his ‘mistake’ to keep his marriage with Sunita hidden from the world: ‘Isko lagta tha bura’

On Govinda's birthday, here's looking at his love story with his wife Sunita and how he felt it was a 'mistake' to not declare their wedding.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | December 21, 2022 08:05 AM IST

3 min read

Govinda and Sunita Ahuja have been married for over 35 years. (Photo: Express Archives)

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Govinda was in the early stages of becoming a star in the late 1980s when he secretly got married to his wife Sunita. For over a year, the couple did not tell anyone that they had tied the knot but ultimately, when the news got out, it didn’t dent Govinda’s stardom and this was unlike what he had been made to believe. While keeping one’s marriage a secret was quite a norm in those days, Govinda and Sunita never looked back and 35 years later, are very much together.

The couple’s wedding was a hush-hush filmy affair but their love story was even more filmy. During an interview with Simi Garewal, the couple revealed how they fell in love with each other. They first met through family members as Govinda’s uncle and Sunita’s sister were married to each other. Sunita described their relationship as feisty at first and the first spark they felt was when their hands accidentally grazed against each other.

“We liked each other a little bit, but would often fight,” said Govinda as Sunita chimed in “bahana chahiye tha (we just wanted an excuse).” They said theirs was a “half love-half arranged marriage” but love came first. Sunita recalled that their love story came out in the open after her mother caught one of the letters that they had been exchanging with each other. When asked what was written in the letter, Sunita shared, “I want to get married to you as early as possible”. It happened soon after.

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But Govinda likes to believe that it was his mother who chose Sunita for him. “She said, ‘have faith in me and get married to this girl’,” and so they did but secretly. Govinda called it a “mistake” on his part when he did not declare his love for Sunita from the rooftops in the beginning. His wife, he said, was gracious enough to support him even through that time. When asked if she ever felt bad about it, Sunita instantly said no but Govinda said, “Isko lagta tha bura (She would feel bad).” Govinda explained that for that one year, they hardly went out. “I always had that fear that everyone was trying to sabotage my career so when I was told that I shouldn’t declare my marriage, I did not,” he recalled. “Sunita was my first love and I fell in love with her innocence,” he later said in an interview with IANS.

Govinda was a huge star in the 1980s and 1990s. The actor does not star in many movies these days but is often seen on reality shows encouraging young talent.

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