David Dhawan copied other's work, Govinda ke mann mein bhi zeher daal diya, claims filmmaker Pahlaj Nihalani

Nihalani’s most startling claim revolves around Dhawan's alleged absence from sets. "In Aankhen, during the climax shoot of 27 days, David was not there, not even for a single day. He was shooting for something else in Mumbai. During a lot of action scenes, I was the one on the shoot, David wouldn’t be there," he revealed.

When pressed on why he continued to work with David Dhawan despite these issues, Pahlaj Nihalani said: "For me, he was a dummy director. The film will always be mine because I was the producer."

The veteran producer pinpointed the root of their fallout not in direct confrontation, but in Dhawan's supposed disparagement of him to other actors. "He believed that Aankhen and Shola Aur Shabnam worked because of him. And he would say that I paid Anil Kapoor, and not him," Nihalani recounted. He also accused Dhawan of intellectual dishonesty, stating, "All these films – Deewana Mastana, Jodi No 1, Haseena Maan Jayegi… Deewana Mastana was adapted from an English film and I was the one who showed him that film. I also discussed Haseena Maan Jayegi with him… David has always enjoyed copying others’ work. He made all these films with other producers."

Nihalani further speculated on Dhawan’s apparent desire for deference. "I think he wanted people to call him David ji and I would never call him that. It was perhaps this complex… I analysed that he is probably scared of facing me," he mused, adding, "He never said that call me David Ji… I could see that’s how he thought, I am a human after all."

"David is the kind of man who will only call when he has an ulterior motive. He doesn’t respect relationships, he only thinks about himself. He is only looking out for how to make money,” added Nihlani.

Pahlaj Nihalani, who worked extensively with Govinda during the peak of his career, has offered a candid and critical assessment of the actor's professional downfall. According to Nihalani, Govinda's trusting nature and the "atmosphere around him" were key contributors to his career's downturn, exacerbated by alleged manipulation from director David Dhawan.

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"Govinda was an all-rounder. He handled his career very well, but because of his ‘weakness’, he tends to trust people easily, which is why this happened," Nihalani explained. He elaborated on the negative influences, stating, "The atmosphere around him isn’t good, that’s why he wanders away. He keeps the company of pandits and astrologers, fortune tellers and the atmosphere he has around him and what he believes in. But people don’t take those conversations seriously. These types of conversations and this aura are extremely damaging, which has affected his career in the film industry.”

Nihalani then directly implicated David Dhawan in Govinda's struggles, suggesting a personal vendetta against him that impacted the actor. He claimed that after the success of Partner, Govinda's subsequent films faced release issues. "Jab Govinda ka time aaya Partner ke baad toh uski filmein jitni aayi, logon ne usko neecha dikhaaya aur shows chalne nahi diye," Nihalani said. He went on to assert, "David Dhawan uske saath kaam kar raha tha aur David Dhawan ne uske mind me zeher daal diya tha against me. Kyuki unko lagta tha main ne paisa kamaya, jabki meri picture sey unka naam hua (After Partner, many of his films were not released or stalled. David Dhawan was working with him that time and he poisoned his mind against me. He thought I was making money but did not see he also made his name with my films).”