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Govinda!

V S Srinivasan

Govinda Click for bigger pic!

He has never been Hero No 1.

No, numbers are definitely not for him and it would never be a cliché to say that he transcends them. For he is a bigger hero with the masses than the ones that ostensibly rule the pack. Mothers and fathers look indulgently upon him though they did frown on some of his pelvic grinders earlier; the girls like his friendly, everyday looks that lacks the slick, gelled appearances of the Bandra boys; and the guys like him because he speaks their lingo and he is their own kinda tapori. Aisa kya?

While other actors rose to distant heights and fell away, Govinda, with his cheesy smile and oh-so-garish clothes, wormed his way into the hearts of audiences. On screen he was respectful to adults, sassy -- note, not cutting and nasty like other heroes often are -- sharing an easy, friendly relationship with the love interest. While others opted for macho images, fast cars, death-defying stunts and borderline roles to draw attention, the Virar ka chokra kept a lower profile, happy to make the average Manoj identify with him.

Yes, numbers are meaningless when describing Govinda despite attempts to give him the demeaning sobriquet of the poor man's Amitabh.

With Juhi Chawla in Radha ka Sangam. Click for bigger pic!

What aggravates the Bollywood upper crust is perhaps this: Though he is considered declasse, Govinda has had more hits than your Aamir, Shah Rukh and Sunny -- Raja Babu, Khuddar, Dulaara, Aankhen, Coolie No 1, Hero No 1, Saajan Chale Sasuraal and the recent Deewana Mastana.

True, that glittering record isn't without its cracks; he's had his share of flops. And he irritates some of his producers no end by landing on the sets very, very late, turning budgets and schedules topsy-turvy.

His rise has also drawn flak from other stars, some of whom claim he's got where is only because he manipulates the script to his advantage.

We ask him about reports that he reported for only four of the 25 days of the shoot during which we met him. Govinda bursts into laughter. "I think you belong to the select group of journalists who are in the habit of getting beaten up."

So what does he feel about the battles between stars and journalists?

With Karisma Kapoor in Hero No 1. Click for bigger pic!

"It is not at all healthy. But I have this advice to journalists who write crap: 'Stop flinging mud at us.' After all we are also self-respecting people and will not bear such insults." Taking the tone as cue, you start moving off.

Govinda asks you to wait. You stop and brace yourself for some trouble. But the actor is still rounding off his argument. "If you ask the producer he will tell you he asked me for 50 dates which he soon increased to 90. I still gave it to him. But there are people who still crib...." He trails off.

Controversies apart, he's also quick to meet a dying boy whose last wish was to meet him, to do a film -- and a few songs -- free of cost for friends, to support an extended family of 40-odd people, many of whom live in houses bought for them by him.

He was born in an odd family. He had some differences with his father, Arun Ahuja, himself a former resident of Planet Bollywood. His mother Nirmala turned a saint -- as Govinda describes it -- after his birth and she exerted considerable influence on the boy. Partly due to the anchor she was, Govinda's head wasn't turned by the trappings of stardom.

He didn't complain when once, when he returned from a shoot, his mother told him it was time he got married. The next morning, allegedly at 0430 hours, he was married to 18-year-old Sunita. His mother's aphorisms are his mainstay, long after her death last year. It also made him a deeply religious man with a rich depth of values.

Breaking into Bollywood was not at all easy for the lad from the outskirts of Bombay. First, he had to dump the staid Govind Ahuja he was born with to something more jatpat.

"The name Govinda is very auspicious for Maharashtrians. So I decided to make it my name." With his family in deep debt, Govinda applied for a steward's job at the five star Oberoi Towers hotel, but his application was rejected.

With David Dhawan Click for bigger pic!

"I had to do something to earn my bread and butter as it was becoming difficult for me to get into films." Ever the optimist with god on his side, he adds, "I guess I am lucky that I did not get the job, otherwise, I could have never made it big in cinema."

Govinda was lucky he had friends like comedian Coca-Cola who recognised his talent and recommended him to producers.

Ilzaam, his first film, was a huge hit. Encouraged by the prospects of fame and fortune, he signed every film he was offered, earning a rotten image later on for not meeting his commitments.

"I have not got success in an instant," he says defensively. "When I tasted success, I started signing films at random so that I could become financially secure. Soon I found myself shooting for five films every day. I could not spend more than two hours at every shoot." The producers were miffed and Govinda made heavy weather of it.

Not any more, he says. "I only do six films these days, and all the six are progressing very smoothly. Now tell me which producer has which problem against me?"

While producers don't mind tantrums and unprofessionalism from successful stars, they balk at the same treatment coming from failures. And when Govinda's films began bombing, they took it badly.

With Juhi Chawla in Deewana Mastana. Click for bigger pic!

"Producers started getting scared of signing me. My graph plummeted and that made me launch my home production." But Hatya failed, as did Radha Ka Sangam. It was a chastening experience. And remembering his extended family of 40, brother Kirti Kumar -- who directed both films -- and Govinda gracefully withdrew from production.

Govinda is most puzzled by the failure of Hatya, a remake of the Tamil hit Poovizhi Vaasalile starring Satyaraj. "The role in Hatya remains my best performance till date," he says. "I fail to understand why it was not a hit. But I am happy that my acting was appreciated."

"I learnt from my mistakes and decided the first thing I would do is not make a film again. The second decision which I took was that I would not do all films, but be very choosy. That is the reason why you find me so fine and composed these days."

"Fine and composed" wouldn't be quite an honest appraisal of his off-screen condition. Edgy would be more apt, considering he has been receiving threatening calls and is allegedly being stalked by a mysterious man.

Govinda was also questioned following the March 12, 1993 bomb blasts in Bombay. The star was picked up from Jaipur, where he was shooting for Maharaja and questioned, an experience which scarred him.

Govinda Click for bigger pic!

"Jo beet gayee, so baat gayee (What is past is past). Why are you talking about such things? These rumours about me being involved in underworld activities are baseless. Tell me, can I do something like that? I am a happy man, earning my bread and butter from acting in films. If you are talking about the photographs of mine with the underworldwallahs, so many people walk into the sets to have pictures taken. How will you know who is a member of the underworld? Please don't talk about these matters. Let people know me only as Govinda the actor."

Govinda's early reputation came from the rigorous dance sequences he performed on screen. "I knew I was a good dancer. In the beginning, I would go to various producers and start dancing. It took time for my abilities to be discovered. Slowly, my confidence increased. I moved into comedy and also started doing serious roles. I want to be a complete actor, like what Kamal Hasan is. But at the same time, I also want to be like my guru, Rajnikanth, who will always remain a man of the masses." Another idol is the rather risque Marathi film-maker, Dada Kondke.

"When I was a child, whenever they used to publicise his films in Virar, the publicity people would take a microphone in hand and scream, 'Come, get entertained and go home.' I want to do films which entertain the people. After films like Deewana Mastana, Saajan Chale Sasuraal, Coolie No 1 and Hero No 1, I know I am a man who is also liked by the classes."

Despite all the craving for popular acceptance, he has set his sights on the ultimate in every actor's life. "I want to win an Oscar and bring it back to my country," he says.

He is also looking at options beyond the screen and is in the process of setting up hotels in Bangalore and Shimla. Partly, Bollywood-watchers say, as a result of the threats to his life.

For the moment, though, Govinda is riding high. And to hell with the ratings.

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