When Govinda opened up about his fallout with director David Dhawan after doing 17 films together

Govinda, a celebrated actor from the 1990s known for his outstanding performances in hit comedies like Raja Babu, Hero No. 1, Dulhe Raja, and Jodi No. 1, was once part of a highly successful collaboration with director David Dhawan. The actor-director duo delivered several memorable films that cemented their place in Bollywood history. However, their professional relationship eventually soured, leading to a fallout that made headlines a few years ago.

Recently, an old video of Govinda resurfaced on social media, in which he candidly discussed his differences with David Dhawan during an interview on Rajat Sharma's popular show Aap Ki Adalat. The resurfaced clip has reignited discussions about the once-iconic partnership and the reasons behind their estrangement.

In an old video clip of his interview with journalist Rajat Sharma on his show Aap Ki Adalat, Govinda said, "I do not think his son will ever do 17 films with him, because he is, after all, David Dhawan’s son. He is educated. I never realized the meaning of doing 17 films with a director. It was Sanjay Dutt who told me to give work to a fellow Punjabi (David Dhawan). I used to give work to fellow Punjabis at that time. I liked David and did many hit films with him. I did not even treat my relatives so well as I treated him. Even with my brother, who is a director, I did not do 17 films."

He further explained, “When I asked David to make the 18th film with me, he took my subject and titled it ‘Chashme Baddoor’ and cast Rishi Kapoor in it. Then I asked him to put me as a guest appearance. He didn’t do that too. After that, I didn’t meet him for some years. I kept requesting him to take at least one shot with me so that it could be my 18th film with him. But I don’t know what he had in his mind.”

The Coolie No.1 actor then recalled the incident when he heard David Dhawan talking about over a phone call.