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Actor Salman Khan and Govinda in a still from Partner (2007). (Photo: IMDb)
Actor Govinda’s career in Bollywood has oscillated between peak stardom and a forgotten legacy several times. He hasn’t appeared on screen since 2019, and while the early 2000s weren’t exactly a dry patch for him, they came with their own challenges, including multiple flops at the box office. Co-star Deepshika Nagpal recently talked about the film Partner, which was a huge success. It was also the project that brought Govinda back into the public eye.
Deepshika focused especially on the relationship between Salman Khan and Govinda, as the latter was arguably past his prime and ‘Bhai’ was enjoying the top spot in Bollywood. It was said that Salman brought Govinda back to give his career the boost that it needed. Deepshika described her experience on the film, and told Hindi Rush, “Of course, Govinda ke saamne dar toh lagega bhai (You are bound to get nervous in front of Govinda). He is the comedy king, and his timing is superb. Everyone around him is extremely alert, because you have to match up to him. But Salman isn’t someone you write off, and I have seen the bond between the two of them firsthand.”
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She added that Salman was nothing but cordial toward the Hero No 1 actor and that there wasn’t any underlying insecurity between the two. “Salman never let Govinda feel that his career was going better, just because Govinda was going through a rough patch. He never made him feel that ‘aapka time nahi chal raha, aur Salman Khan ka chal raha (It was Salman Khan’s time to shine and not his.)’ The bigger man is the one who doesn’t lord his strength over the smaller person. He equally respected them, and sometimes there was a scene when Govinda used to give notes to Salman, and he would listen respectfully and would never be rude towards him. Yeh, uske sanskaar hai (These were his values).”
Deepshika went on to say that Salman’s courtesy and respect wasn’t just limited to Govinda, but was extended to everybody else, including her. She recalled, “We were shooting the jet-ski scene, and I just made a comment in passing that I like riding them. The very next morning he got one jet ski and told me to go for a ride; I mean, he remembered.”
Directed by David Dhawan, the cast of Partner included Salman Khan, Govinda, Lara Dutta, Katrina Kaif, Rajpal Yadav, Dalip Tahil and Deepshika Nagpal.
English (US) ·