Shagufta Ali says Govinda’s vision for perfection was so strong that he didn’t mind reshooting several times: “Govinda is a bigger perfectionist than Aamir Khan.”
Aamir Khan has long been known as Bollywood’s ‘Mr Perfectionist’, but veteran actor Shagufta Ali believes Govinda deserves greater recognition for his dedication to the industry. Thinking about the time they spent together while filming “Hero No.
1′, Shagufta revealed that Govinda would rehearse scenes repeatedly, sometimes as many as 25 times, and would keep asking for reshoots until he was completely satisfied, no matter how exhausting the process was for the co-stars.
‘Hero No. 1’ seemed like a paid vacation for Shagufta Ali
Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Shagufta fondly recalled the atmosphere on the sets of ‘Hero No. 1’, describing the shoot as an enjoyable experience for the entire crew.
“We used to have a lot of fun whether Govinda or Karishma was on the sets or not.
We were on a paid excursion. Shooting outdoors in Ooty was amazing. We stayed at Mithun Da hotel. When he found out, he came to meet us and served us seafood that he cooked himself.”
Govinda rehearsed the scene as many as 25 times
Shagufta admitted that Govinda’s habit of arriving late to the sets was well known, but also stressed that his dedication to perfecting every scene was unparalleled.“Govinda used to come late to the sets here too. If the shift was 9 am, he would come by 1 or 2 pm, never earlier.
This was the only problem with Govinda. Otherwise he was a very nice person. I have done 3-4 films with him. He is a very nice person, loves to have fun. He does 25 exercises. Govinda is a bigger perfectionist than Aamir Khan. Mr. David will agree to this, but he will still insist and also apologize to others. His view of perfection was so strong that he didn’t care if the person in front of him was tired.
“According to Shagufta, even after director David Dhawan approved the shot, Govinda would ask for another take if he felt he could improve his performance.
Kader Khan was upset by the delay
The veteran actor also noted that Govinda’s late arrival often frustrated the cast and crew. She revealed that legendary actor Kader Khan would get upset when the actor informed the group hours after the scheduled call time. Shagufta added that while many team members were upset about the delay, they had no choice but to wait for Govinda to start shooting every day.
Govinda’s golden career in Bollywood
Govinda emerged as one of the biggest stars of Indian cinema during the 1990s, gaining immense popularity for his comedic timing, effortless dancing and entertaining screen presence.
His memorable performances in films like ‘Raja Babu’, ‘Coolie No. 1’, ‘Hero No. 1’, ‘Saajan Chale Sasural’, ‘Dulhe Raja’, ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’, ‘Haseena Maan Jaayegi’ and ‘Partner’ cemented his status as one of Bollywood’s most bankable artists.Although ‘Partner’ had a successful comeback in 2007, the actor was unable to maintain the momentum in the years that followed. Govinda was last seen in Rangeela Raja, where he played a dual role, but the film failed to make an impact at the box office. Since then, he has largely stayed away from the silver screen.