Pahlaj Nihalani claims Govinda was manipulated by David Dhawan; says, “David Dhawan is a selfish person. He manipulated Govinda”

Pahlaj Nihalani has stirred controversy with startling revelations about Govinda and David Dhawan, the renowned actor-director duo behind numerous 90s comedy hits like Hero No 1, Coolie No 1, Raja Babu and Bade Miyaan Chhote Miyaan. While Govinda found initial success under Nihalani's direction with films like Shola Aur Shabnam and Aankhen, their relationship has seemingly encountered turbulence over time. Nihalani's candid remarks shed light on the complex dynamics between him, Govinda, and Dhawan, adding a layer of intrigue to their collaborative history in Bollywood.In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Pahlaj described Govinda as "unpredictable" and said that David "manipulated" the actor. The senior producer reportedly alleged that David "lived on his mercy" until he achieved popularity.The producer, who has made multiple films with Chunky Panday and Govinda in the lead roles, said, “I am still very close to Chunky Panday. But with Govinda, it is not the same, despite having made four films with him, two of which never panned out due to some controversy. Govinda was very gullible, he never showed up for the outdoor shoot of Bhai Bhai. The two stars in the film were Govinda and Chunky Panday, but as he didn’t shoot for it, I made the film with newcomers Samrat Mukerji and Manik Bedi. Originally, it was Govinda and Chunky. We had done a muhurat puja and also three days of shoot for the film. So, I had never been on good terms with Govinda.”Pahlaj Nihalani also recounted how he assisted Govinda during his trying moments. “Every time he had a problem, he came to me and I made films with him. When he was looking for a job, at that time, I gave him work. I introduced him, gave him an opportunity to act in a big film. When he didn’t have work, I gave him Shola Aur Shabnam. Once it became a hit, again the ups and downs started. He came again and within four days, without having a director, I began the shoot of Aankhen with him.”He then accused David of manipulating Govinda. “David Dhawan is a selfish person. He manipulated Govinda. I still don’t know what exactly he told him, but Govinda never showed up on the sets of Bhai Bhai while the entire crew was waiting for him in Hyderabad. Right from there, the misunderstanding between Govinda and I increased further. Govinda had become very unpredictable. He was very superstitious. You couldn’t trust him. He would randomly fall sick by looking at certain colour, looking at someone’s face. He, however, didn’t do all this much on my set. He even shelved Avatar on David Dhawan’s advice.”Pahlaj Nihalani has stirred controversy with startling revelations about Govinda and David Dhawan, the renowned actor-director duo behind numerous 90s comedy hits like Hero No 1, Coolie No 1, Raja Babu and Bade Miyaan Chhote Miyaan. While Govinda found initial success under Nihalani's direction with films like Shola Aur Shabnam and Aankhen, their relationship has seemingly encountered turbulence over time. Nihalani's candid remarks shed light on the complex dynamics between him, Govinda, and Dhawan, adding a layer of intrigue to their collaborative history in Bollywood.In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Pahlaj described Govinda as "unpredictable" and said that David "manipulated" the actor. The senior producer reportedly alleged that David "lived on his mercy" until he achieved popularity.The producer, who has made multiple films with Chunky Panday and Govinda in the lead roles, said, “I am still very close to Chunky Panday. But with Govinda, it is not the same, despite having made four films with him, two of which never panned out due to some controversy. Govinda was very gullible, he never showed up for the outdoor shoot of Bhai Bhai. The two stars in the film were Govinda and Chunky Panday, but as he didn’t shoot for it, I made the film with newcomers Samrat Mukerji and Manik Bedi. Originally, it was Govinda and Chunky. We had done a muhurat puja and also three days of shoot for the film. So, I had never been on good terms with Govinda.”Pahlaj Nihalani also recounted how he assisted Govinda during his trying moments. “Every time he had a problem, he came to me and I made films with him. When he was looking for a job, at that time, I gave him work. I introduced him, gave him an opportunity to act in a big film. When he didn’t have work, I gave him Shola Aur Shabnam. Once it became a hit, again the ups and downs started. He came again and within four days, without having a director, I began the shoot of Aankhen with him.”He then accused David of manipulating Govinda. “David Dhawan is a selfish person. He manipulated Govinda. I still don’t know what exactly he told him, but Govinda never showed up on the sets of Bhai Bhai while the entire crew was waiting for him in Hyderabad. Right from there, the misunderstanding between Govinda and I increased further. Govinda had become very unpredictable. He was very superstitious. You couldn’t trust him. He would randomly fall sick by looking at certain colour, looking at someone’s face. He, however, didn’t do all this much on my set. He even shelved Avatar on David Dhawan’s advice.”Also Read : SHOCKING: CBFC chairperson Prasoon Joshi accused of delaying censor process of Bhojpuri film Rang De Basanti as its title is similar to 2006 Hindi movie; Pahlaj Nihalani LASHES out, “Prasoon ne producers ko laawaris bana ke rakha hai”