Famous for his roles in comedy films and unique dance moves, Govinda, turns 57 today.
Even today, there is none who can come even close to the comedy magic he used to spin in his movies. Govinda had a number of releases in those days. He had 14 releases in 1989 and that’s immense.
He started out as an action and dancing hero in the mid 80s, and then reinvented himself as a comedy hero in the early 90s.
Over the next decade, he starred in several commercially successful comedy films, including Hero No 1, Dulhe Raja, and Coolie No 1. As Govinda turns 57, let us look at 5 of the best comedy flicks that made him king of the masses in the 90s.
Political career:
Govinda was a member of the Parliament of India from 2004 to 2009. As part of the Indian National Congress, he was elected the 7th member of parliament for the Mumbai North constituency of Maharashtra, India in the 14th Lok Sabha elections in 2004, defeating Ram Naik of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Accolades, awards and nominations:
In 1999, Govinda was voted the world’s tenth-greatest star of stage or screen in a BBC News Online poll. In July 2016, he was recognised as Actor of the Decade at the India Leadership Conclave in Mumbai.
Govinda has received 12 Filmfare Award nominations and 4 Zee Cine Awards. He has also received a Filmfare Best Comedian Award for Haseena Maan Jayegi (1999) and a Filmfare Special Award for Saajan Chale Sasural (1996).
Some Lesser Known Facts About Govinda
*He was born in Virar, Maharashtra and brought up in the slums of Mumbai.
*He is the youngest of the six siblings.
*When he was born, his father rejected to take him in his arms because of some reasons.
*Govinda used to have such a craze of watching movies that he used to save money, especially for watching movies.
*His mother, Nazeem was a Muslim but got converted into Hinduism and changed her name to Nirmala Devi.
*Govinda had a very tough childhood; as his father produced only one film in his entire career and that too a big flop, due to which they had to shift to semi-rural semiurban areas from a bungalow.
*He was once rejected for a steward’s job at the Taj Mahal Hotel because his English wasn’t up to the mark.
*He is given the nickname “Chi Chi,” which means little finger.
*Her mother wanted him to become a banker and never wanted him to become an actor. Even, he gave so many auditions, which were kept hidden from his mother.
*In a BBC news online poll, he was voted the world’s tenth greatest star of screen or stage in 1999.
*He was the first choice for the role of Tara in the film Gadar, which later went to Sunny Deol. He was also offered roles in films Taal and Devdas, but he declined all of them.
*During the 90s, he transformed himself into one of the finest comedy actors, and his chemistry with Kader Khan was impeccable.
On the work front, Govinda was last seen in the film Rangeela Raja released in 2019.
