Premium

‘Every scene he remembers Govinda’: Varun Dhawan reveals the ‘tall order’ of working with father David Dhawan

On the finale of The Great Indian Kapil Show Season 4, actor Varun Dhawan spoke about his father David Dhawan's love for Govinda.

Varun Dhawan, David Dhawan on Govinda on The Great Indian Kapil ShowVarun Dhawan, David Dhawan talk about Govinda on The Great Indian Kapil Show Season 4 finale (Photos: Netflix, Govinda/Instagram)

The final episode of The Great Indian Kapil Show Season 4 featured David Dhawan and Varun Dhawan. During the episode, the father-son duo shared several anecdotes from their personal and professional lives, including their on-set interactions and David’s experience working with Govinda.

Talking about working with Govinda, David said, “I have done 17 films with Govinda, all have been superhits. I believe one of the best actors I have worked with is Govinda.” Varun added, “Whatever scene gets written, every scene he remembers Govinda, he thinks how Chichi bhaiyya would do the scene. Then I tell him that I have to perform for my audience too, but I have a very tall order to live up to. He always keeps giving me references to what Salman Khan, Govinda, or Anil Kapoor would do. But I have to find out how Varun would do that scene.”

Also Read: ‘It felt dangerous’: Govinda reveals why he walked away from David Dhawan, says Varun Dhawan can’t recreate their magic

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Netflix India (@netflix_in) 

David Dhawan on Govinda coming late to the set

David David further spoke about Govinda and said, “A hero can forget lines, but character actors are the best – Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Satish Kaushik, Paresh Rawal, they are unbelievable. Even Govinda, people say he used to come late on set, today, who arrives on time? But once he arrived, he would finish the work and go. Once during Partner, it was a four-page scene. he went through it and told me not to put up the shot. He told me to see how he performed. He wanted to give a one-take shot. You couldn’t imagine what all he did and said, ‘Take whatever cuts you want from this.’ He was unbelievable.”

Govinda and David Dhawan relationship

Govinda and David Dhawan worked together in films such as Hero No. 1, Coolie No. 1, Raja Babu, Bade Miyan Chote Miyaan, Shola Aur Shabnam, Partner, among others. However, after their last film, Do Not Disturb in 2009, the relationship between David and Govinda soured. According to reports, Govinda was upset that, after giving David the idea for Chasme Baddoor, the director went ahead and signed Rishi Kapoor. In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Govinda had said that David wasn’t loyal to actors. He said, “He is honest. But in the film industry, honesty has a different place; if your loyalty is with someone else, then your honesty will struggle. Aisa laga ki yeh khatarnak ho gaya hai mamla, ab isse hum bahar niklein (It felt like things were dangerous, so it was time for me to get out).”

In the same interview, Govinda also said that the kind of films he and David made together could now only be made with David’s son, Varun Dhawan.

After their fallout in 2009, the actor-director duo patched up but have not worked together since.

David Dhawan and Varun Dhawan have collaborated on Main Tera Hero (2014), Judwaa 2 (2017), and Coolie No. 1 (2020). Their fourth collaboration Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai will release on June 12, 2026.

Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.

Advertisement
Loading Recommendations...
Latest Comment
Post Comment
Read Comments