Govinda talked openly about turning down Aishwarya Rai’s Taal and Shah Rukh Khan’s Devdas in an interview.
Govinda has had an unchallenged reign and was once hailed as the king of comedy due to his impeccable comic timing. Alongside David Dhawan, he held power. But while he was making his decision, the actor turned down a number of other excellent offers, and those decisions may have cost him his career.
Devdas and Taal, both starring Shah Rukh Khan, were two of these films. Aishwarya Rai played the lead role in both films, but Chi Chi turned both of them down. He spoke about the cause later in an interview. He reportedly did not like the title Taal and recommended changing it, even though he rejected Subhash Ghai’s film.
Govinda, however, provided a precise explanation in an interview, blaming his fame for the rejection of both illustrious films. In Devdas, Chunnilal, a part Jackie Shroff would eventually play, was presented to him. The role in Taal afterward portrayed by Anil Kapoor was offered to him.
The Hero No.1 actor said, “Jis waqt maine Devdas refuse ki thi us waqt maine Taal bhi refuse ki thi. Ye do jo hain desh ke mahaan shaksiyaton mein se character hain. Parantu main us waqt top pe tha aur mujhe laga pata nahi accept hounga kya?
When translated, it says, “When I had turned down Devdas, I also refused Taal the same time. Both the characters went to become iconic hits but I was on top of my game at that point and I didn’t know if people would accept me in a character role or not!”
While Govinda was worried about playing character roles, who vouched for his dedication saying, “Maine kahaa ki mujhe har waqt sochna padega ki main chunnilal ka qirdaar play kar raha hun. Phir wo mujhse irritate ho jaayenge ki Govinda kitne sawaal poochta hai. Mujhe accha lagta hai samaa baandhne mein. Meri imaandaari par kabhi sawaal nahi utha. (I thought to myself that I’d keep reminding myself that I was playing CHunnilal in the movie. And I would ask multiple questions that could upset the makers. I like to get into the skin of the characters and understand the sitations around them, they make my characters memorable. If nothing else, the audience at least would know I’ve played my part honestly. I would not want anyone to suspect my honesty towards my work.)
In terms of his professional career, Govinda’s most recent high-profile films were Kill Dill & Happy Ending (2014), in which he acted as a supporting actor for Saif Ali Khan and Ranveer Singh. He was nominated for a Filmfare award for both supporting parts.
