All about Govinda
Best known for his roles in David Dhawan's comedies, there's more to know Govinda.
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Actor Govinda was born on 21 December 1963. His father Arun Ahuja was a small time actor and had acted in Mehboob Khan's Aurat (1940). Arun met Govinda's mother Nirmala during the making of the film Savera, in which they were cast opposite each other. They married in 1941.
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Arun Ahuja then turned producer and the only film he ever produced was a flop. Unable to bear the loss, his health failed. The family, living in a bungalow on Mumbai's upmarket Carter Road, was forced to move to Virar - a far flung semi-rural Mumbai suburb, where Govinda was born.
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Around this time, Govinda saw the film Saturday Night Fever and dance became his obsession. He practised for hours and circulated a promo of himself on a VHS cassette. Soon a fertiliser commercial came his way, followed by an Allwyn ad, finally his very first leading role in Tan Badan which was to be directed by his uncle Anand Singh.
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Most of the films he appeared in during the 1980s were in the action, romance or family drama genres. He was often paired opposite actress Neelam and together they appeared in hit films such as Love 86 (1986), Khudgarz (1987) and his brother Kirti Kumar's directed Hatya (1988).
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He then formed a successful collaboration with David Dhawan and went onto act in 17 movies directed by him most of which were comedy films. The most successful films during their collaboration included Shola Aur Shabnam (1992), Aankhen (1993), Raja Babu (1994), Coolie No. 1 (1995), Saajan Chale Sasural (1996), Hero No. 1 (1997), Deewana Mastana (1997), Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998), Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999), Anari No. 1 (1999), Jodi No. 1 (2001).
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During his tenure as the Member of Parliament, he was never played any active role. He was mostly absent while the house was in session. He also did not participate in any debates or raise any queries regarding his constituency. On 20 January 2008, he has decided to quit politics to concentrate on his acting career in Bollywood.