‘Govinda was stabbed in the back’ post Salman Khan’s ‘Partner’: Pahlaj Nihalani reveals - Report

Govinda was a top superstar in the 1990s and immensely popular then. However, his career declined in the 2000s as his films failed to attract audiences or perform well at the box office. Though he made a comeback with Salman Khan’s ‘Partner’, it wasn't enough to revive his stardom. Producer Pahlaj Nihalani, who worked with Govinda on several films, revealed in a recent interview that certain people around him wanted to sabotage his career.Read on to learn more.Betrayal behind the scenes for GovindaTalking to Pinkvilla, Pahlaj expressed that Govinda was betrayed by many within Bollywood. After the success of ‘Partner’, he stopped getting films, with several major projects, including one with Priyanka Chopra, being canceled. Nihalani explained that when someone is stabbed in the back, there are no visible marks, and often the victim is unaware of the betrayals. This means Govinda faced multiple unseen betrayals throughout his career.Not just an assumption about Govinda’s careerThe producer also made it clear that it wasn’t just his assumption that people wanted to ruin Govinda’s career, but it was an actual fact. He said that even after ‘Rangeela Raja’, many top producers asked him if Govinda ever annoyed him, which he denied. The producer emphasized that Govinda was always punctual, often starting shoots as early as 6 am, and was never late beyond the scheduled time.No real friends for Govinda in BollywoodPahlaj added that there are no real friends in Bollywood, describing it as a selfish friendship where no one truly belongs to anyone. He said, "If someone’s film flops, people throw parties." When the host mentioned that Govinda’s wife Sunita had said in an interview that the people around him didn’t allow him to grow, Pahlaj agreed, saying she was right and that these “pundits” destroyed his career.The challenge of advising GovindaHe also said, “It is wrong to advice anyone. Giving advice to someone means keeping your own self below them. Sachai bolna aur sachai sunna, bahut bada farak hai (Saying and listening to the truth is difficult). I will never say anything wrong about Govinda as an actor and as a person. His thought process is at fault sometimes”.