Govinda is one of Hindi cinema’s most loved actors, known for hit films like ‘Hero No. 1’, ‘Hadh Kar Di Aapne’, ‘Dulhe Raja’, ‘Coolie No. 1’, and ‘Partner’. He was also among the few stars who signed on several films very early in his career. In an interview, he revealed that at just 21, he had signed 75 films, but later decided to go ahead with just 50.In a podcast interview with Maniesh Paul, Govinda shared a throwback story about his signing spree. He said, “Main film line mein kahan aaya, mujhe film line thamai gayi thi. Upar wale ne film line di thi ki bhaiyya is sambhaliye (I didn’t enter the film industry; God handed over the responsibility to manage it).”He recalled a chat with late veteran actor Dilip Kumar, who advised him to drop 25 of the 75 films he had signed. Govinda replied that he had already taken the signing amount and asked, “Main paise lautaunga kaise.”However, the veteran actor convinced him to return the signing amount, assuring him that God would help make it happen. Govinda took his advice and dropped the 25 films.Being the young new star in the business, he also shared that he often fell sick on sets due to his hectic schedule. At one point, he worked non-stop for over two weeks and didn’t sleep for 16 days straight.Govinda made his Bollywood debut with Love 86 in 1986. He went on to act in several films during the 1980s like ‘Ilzaam’, ‘Sada Suhagan’, ‘Dadagiri’, ‘Do Qaidi’, ‘Khudgarz’, and ‘Jeete Hain Shaan Se’.In the 1990s, he teamed up with director David Dhawan for many hit comedy films that are still loved today. Govinda was last seen on the big screen in ‘Rangeela Raja’, released in 2019.
