I never liked any of my films: Govinda

Mumbai: Ahead of his comeback film Kill Dil under the YRF banner, Govinda says that he had never had the time to work for Yash Raj Films. “I was offered  many films by YRF earlier but I was busy then,” says Govinda, adding, “My wife told me to do this film. She said that my children would benefit from my work.”

One of Kill Dil’s heroes, Ranveer Singh, is a self confessed fan of Govinda. Talking about him, Govinda says, “Ranveer Singh loves me a lot. He asked me to watch Ram-Leela but I didn’t watch the climax.

I like comedies and I don’t watch tragic films. Ranveer came with so much love that I was overwhelmed.” Surprisingly, he says, “I have never liked my own films as a whole. I have liked them in bits and pieces.”

The actor has come up the hard way in life and he took everything the critics threw at him and came back stronger. “I was criticised at every step…I didn’t bother to talk about it. Like people say, on every path and every lane you find such potholes but you have to continue since life is a learning process; you will find your answers as you go along.”

Talking about the new breed of hardworking actors, Govinda says, “Now it’s tougher. The whole process of looking good, working on your body has changed. The kind of body the actors need to maintain these days, earlier we thought were limited to models alone. They are professional in everything and they have to work hard but yet I think we worked harder.”

Govinda, however, has always been accused of coming late for shoots. Talking about the habit, he says. “I would get late on the sets because I had never said, ‘no’ to any director or producer. Having signed so many films in the late nineties it was but natural that I would reach late. I have improved on it.”

On friendship with Salman Khan, who resurrected his career with Partner, Govinda says, “He has a large heart and our friendship is beyond films. We both read the same book (professionally) but I was taught in a different manner and he learnt it in another manner. He did offer me Mahesh Manjrekar’s film Shikshanachi Aai Cha Gho. But I didn’t want to do an art film… I want to do a fun film with him, that will be a box office success.”

Govinda had also refused a role in Slumdog Millionaire, “Those days I had refused a lot of films. I was offered Taal but I refused because I didn’t like the title. I was offered Slumdog also, but I told the director to change the title since I was into politics at that time and felt that people would say ‘the slumdog has arrived’ (laughs aloud).”