When Asrani regretted his role in Sunny Leone's film Mastizaade, said, "Mujhe sharam aayi, Mehmood sahab had started..."

When Asrani regretted his role in Sunny Leone's film Mastizaade, said, "Mujhe sharam aayi, Mehmood sahab had started..."

Veteran actor and comedian Govardhan Asrani, who passed away on October 20 at the age of 84, leaves behind a cinematic legacy spanning six decades. Known for his iconic comic timing and unforgettable roles in films like Sholay (1975) and Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), Asrani entertained generations of audiences with his effortless humor and warmth. Yet, amid his vast and celebrated filmography, there was one project he openly admitted regretting — the 2016 adult comedy Mastizaade, starring Sunny Leone, Tusshar Kapoor, and Vir Das.

In Mastizaade, Asrani played the role of Sunny Leone’s father, a part that he later confessed made him deeply uncomfortable. In an interview with HT City shortly after the film’s release, the veteran actor didn’t mince his words. “Mujhe Mastizaade main kaam karna pada, mujhe sharam aayi,” he said, meaning, “I had to work in Mastizaade, and I felt embarrassed.”

Asrani explained that he initially agreed to the project because of his respect for the film’s director, Milap Zaveri. “It was the director, Milap, who I found really energetic initially,” he recalled. “Par jab shooting karne pe aaye to mujhe laga baap re ye kya hai? I had never spoken such double-meaning dialogues, and it was embarrassing for me.” His words reflected both disappointment and discomfort with the film’s tone, which leaned heavily on sexual innuendo and adult humor, a stark contrast to the kind of clean, family-friendly comedy Asrani was known for.

In another conversation with PTI around the same time, Asrani voiced his broader concern about how vulgarity had crept into mainstream cinema. “It’s terrible and horrible — the vulgarity in films these days,” he had said candidly. “I did not know that the film would be made like this.” He also reflected on how humor had evolved in Bollywood, tracing the shift from clever double entendres to outright crudeness. “Mehmood sahab had started using double-meaning dialogues and some of them worked, so others tried to cash in on the formula. It was still double meaning then but now it is vulgar. All that remains is taking clothes off.”

For an actor who had built his career on charm, innocence, and character-driven comedy, Mastizaade represented a departure he later wished he had avoided. His honesty about that regret only added to the humility and integrity that defined him, both as an artist and as a person.

Govardhan Asrani’s passing marks the end of an era in Indian cinema, one where laughter came from wit, not shock value. And while he may have once said “mujhe sharam aayi,” audiences will always remember him for the effortless joy he brought to the screen, not for the few moments he wished away.