Govinda, one of the biggest superstars of the 90s, had one allegation against him: that he always showed up late on sets. Recently, Madhuri Dixit also talked about how she “thank God” she never worked
with “notoriously late” actors like Govinda. But did you know Govinda had his reasons for being late on sets, and he took inspiration from veteran and legendary star Dilip Kumar?
Govinda on Being Late
In an interview with Mukesh Khanna, Govinda defended being late on sets by saying, “I never used to arrive on time on set. I was a follower of Dilip Kumar sahab. I didn’t believe in being late and all. I used to first set my rhythms right. Jab tak mere sur taal nahi set ho jaaye, main set pe nahi pahuchta tha (Till the time my rhythms wouldn’t be set, I would not go to the set).”
He further recalled how Dilip Kumar helped him, saying, “I would have 40-49 films on the floor. I would travel from one set to another. Main anpadh aadmi in film logon ke haath mein lag gaya, agar Dilip Kumar sahab nahi milte mujhe toh ye log mar dete mujhe (I, an uneducated person, got caught by these film people, and if I wouldn’t have met Dilip Kumar, these people would have killed me by making me overwork). He made me refuse like 25 films. I told Dilip Kumar sahab, ‘I will have to return this money.’ He told me, ‘I will lend it to you but quit these films.’”
What Madhuri Dixit said?
In a recent interview with Mid-Day, she spoke about working with two of her popular co-stars, saying, “Thank god I worked with people who were always on time. They were Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff. With me, it never happened,” responding to a question on how it was working with “notoriously late” stars like Govinda.
After a three-year hiatus, Madhuri Dixit is set to return to the small screen in a new avatar. Ditching her usual glamorous roles, the actress will embody a morally complex character. The 58-year-old star will be seen in the titular role in JioCinema’s upcoming psychological thriller, Mrs Deshpande, which promises intense drama, crime, and suspense. In the show, Madhuri will step into the shoes of a convicted serial killer who will help police track down a copycat murderer. The highly anticipated series, directed by Nagesh Kukunoor and produced by Applause Entertainment, Kukunoor Movies, and Elahe Hiptoola, will premiere on the streaming platform on December 19, with all episodes released together.
