Pahlaj Nihalani Calls Govinda ‘Nasamjh' For This Reason
Pahlaj Nihalani, who has launched Govinda in Bollywood, has made a series of shocking claims against director David Dhawan and the actor. The filmmaker, producer and former CBFC chief shared that despite sharing a close bond with the iconic duo in the 90s, the director allegedly 'poisoned' Govinda's mind, leading to a rift.
The filmmaker didn't hold back on his criticism of Govinda either. In an interview with journalist Vickey Lalwani, he called him 'naive" and attributed his career fall to the people he surrounds himself with. Pahlaj Nihalani said, 'Govinda was an all-rounder. He handled his career very well, but because of his weakness, he trusts people easily, and the atmosphere around him isn't good, that's why he wanders away."
'He keeps the company of pandits and the atmosphere he has around him and what he believes in. But people don't take those conversations seriously. These types of conversations and this aura are damaging for his career in the film industry," Nihalani added.
Referencing the 2007 hit Partner, Nihalani accused, 'Govinda is so naive that in Partner, David Dhawan wanted only Govinda to play that character, but it was claimed that David and Salman helped Govinda during his career slump. But Govinda got so emotional, and woh itna nasamajh hai. They acted like they were obliging Govinda, but they actually wanted only him to play that role. Govinda got so emotional… woh itna nasamajh hai," he added.
'David Dhawan had filled Govinda's mind with poison against me," Nihalani stated, adding that this made them cease all professional collaborations.
In the same interview, Pahlaj questioned David Dhawan's contribution to their hit film Aankhen (1993). He claimed that David was bitter against him, as he thought he earned money for him in the film, but the truth was that he was mostly absent during the shoot and functioned like a 'dummy director'.
'The story was mine, the screenplay I had written, the dialogues were written by Anees Bazmee, and I would also record the songs and shoot them. David was only there to shoot scenes. In fact, he was even absent for 27 days while shooting the climax. He came to Mumbai to shoot for another film. I did all the leftover work. I shot most of the action sequences. In all our films together, he did this," Nihalani claimed.
Despite these accusations, the filmmaker said he held no personal grudge at the time. He said, 'No, I wanted a dummy director. Though he got the director's credit, as a producer, I was a big name, so I didn't care."
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