Govinda reveals why he came late on set: ‘I was a disciple of Dilip Kumar’

He added that around 40 of his films were on floor at the same time. “Yahan se wahan jau, wahan se wahan jau. Wo bhi main unpadh insan main film line ke hath lag gaya na main. Agar Dilip saab nahi mile hote toh maar dia hote mujhe. Pachees filmein chhudwayi. Main tha ki, ‘Sir, itni filmon chhudwayi toh paise lautane padenge’ (laughs). ‘Kahin se dilwa deta hu main tujhe, tu chhod de. Meri gal maanega na tu?’ Maine kaha, ‘Theek hai, chhodta hu main.’ (I would go from one film set to another. The industry got hold of an uneducated guy like me. They would’ve killed me had I not met Dilip Kumar. He made me leave 25 films. I told him, ‘Sir, if I leave so many films, I’d have to return my fees.’ He said, ‘I’ll get you money from somewhere else. You leave these films. You’ll listen to me, right?’ I said, ‘Okay, I’ll leave these 25 films.)”

When Govinda consulted a financier, he asked Govinda not to listen to Dilip Kumar because he’d just risen above poverty. But Govinda considered the veteran actor as a true well-wisher because no one else was concerned about his health when he worked for 16 days in a row. Govinda further defended himself coming late on set because he had to finish the dozens of films he’d committed to in time.

Govinda and Dilip Kumar shared screen space in K Bapaiah’s 1990 film Izzatdaar, which also starred Madhuri Dixit, Anupam Kher, Shakti Kapoor, and Asrani. Dilip Kumar passed away in 2021 at the age of 98.