Actor Govinda was among the topmost stars in the Hindi film industry a couple of decades ago, having delivered a string of comedy hits with director David Dhawan. But his downfall began in the 2000s, and he has appeared in only a handful of projects in the last decade. Govinda’s last film was released in 2019. In an interview, trade expert Komal Nahta attributed his downfall to his growing superstition. Previously, producer Pahlaj Nihalani had also spoken about how his ‘gullibility’ led to the decline of his career.
In an interview on Vishal Malhotra’s YouTube channel, Komal Nahta praised Govinda as an ‘all-rounder’, and said that the actor was ‘an institution in himself.’ He added, “He got taken in by astrologers, who would tell him what he can and can’t do. I’ve heard a story; he was told that a pen could spell doom for him, and so, when he was hosting the game show Jeeto Chappar Phaad Ke, he banned pens from the set. What that person must’ve meant was that some journalist might right something bad about him, but he took it literally, and he said, ‘Anybody visiting the set, including audiences, will have to deposit their pens outside’.”
Also read – Govinda hospitalised after shooting himself in the leg, daughter Tina says actor stable after undergoing surgery
Previously, Pahlaj Nihalani had recollected similar stories about the actor. Appearing on the Friday Film Talkies YouTube channel, the producer said, “He gradually became more and more superstitious. He was always a little gullible. He would say that the chandelier is about to fall on set, and ask everyone to move aside. Then he would predict that Kader Khan was going to drown. He would instruct people to change their clothes based on his superstitions. He would refuse to do certain things on certain days. All of this, combined with his tardiness and gullibility, led to his downfall.”
On Tuesday, Govinda was injured after accidentally shooting himself in the leg with his licensed revolver. His daughter Tina Ahuja told indianexpress.com that surgery has been performed on him; his wife Sunita rushed to the hospital after hearing about the news. She was travelling outside Mumbai.
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