Aamir Khan He has long been known as the ‘Mr Perfectionist’ of Bollywood, but veteran actor Shagufta Ali believes Govinda deserves even greater recognition for his dedication to the craft. Reflecting on their time together while filming ‘Hero No. 1′, Shagufta revealed that Govinda would rehearse scenes repeatedly, sometimes up to 25 times, and would keep asking for repeats until he was completely satisfied, no matter how tiring the process was for his co-stars.
‘Hero No. 1’ felt like a paid vacation for Shagufta Ali
Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Shagufta fondly recalled the atmosphere on the sets of ‘Hero No. 1’, and described the shoot as an enjoyable experience for the entire cast.“We had a lot of fun whether Govinda or Karisma was on the set or not. We were on a paid picnic. The outdoor shoot in Ooty was fantastic. We had stayed at Mithun Da’s hotel. When he found out about it, he came to meet us and gave us seafood that he personally cooked.”
Govinda would rehearse a scene up to 25 times
Shagufta acknowledged that Govinda’s habit of arriving late on set was well-known, but also stressed that his dedication to perfecting each scene was unmatched.“Govinda also used to come late to the set here. If the shift was 9 am, he would come at 1 or 2 pm, and never before. That was the only problem with Govinda; otherwise, he was a very nice person. I have done 3-4 films with him. He is a very nice, fun-loving person. He does 25 more rehearsals than a Khamir Govinda. The sir would take the shot, but he would still insist and also he would apologize to others.His eye for perfection was so strong that he didn’t care that the person in front of him was tired.“According to Shagufta, even after director David Dhawan approved a plan, Govinda would ask for another take if he felt he could improve his performance.
Kader Khan was upset about the delays
The veteran actor also recalled that Govinda’s late arrivals often frustrated the cast and crew. He revealed that legendary actor Kader Khan would get angry whenever the actor reported to the set hours after the scheduled call time. Shagufta added that while many members of the team were irritated by the delays, they had no choice but to wait for Govinda to start shooting every day.
Govinda’s golden career in Bollywood
Govinda emerged as one of Hindi cinema’s biggest stars during the 1990s, gaining immense popularity for his comedic timing, effortless dancing and entertaining screen presence. His memorable performances in films like ‘Raja Babu’, ‘Coolie No. 1’, ‘Hero No. 1’, ‘Saajan Chale Sasural’, ‘Dulhe Raja’, ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’, ‘Haseena Maan Jaayegi’ and ‘Partner’ cemented his place as one of the biggest entertainers in Bollywood.Although ‘Partner’ marked a successful comeback in 2007, the actor could not sustain the momentum in the following years. Govinda was last seen in ‘Rangeela Raja’ where he played a double role but the film failed to make an impact at the box office. Since then, he has largely stayed away from the big screen.