When Govinda Called Off His Engagement To Be With Neelam Kothari

Govinda ruled Hindi cinema in the 90s and early 2000s. The actor created his niche in the industry with his effortless comic timing and his acting mettle. He is often regarded as the pioneer behind the comic hero trend. The actor made his debut as a lead actor with the 1986 film Ilzaam alongside Neelam Kothari. The audience loved the onscreen chemistry of the duo. Both the actors worked together for 14 films, including Hatya, Gharana, Dost Garibon Ka, Sindoor and Farz Ki Jung among others.

During that period there were rumours that the two stars were head over heels for each other. Govinda even once revealed his undying love for his co-actress. While they had a whirlwind romance on-screen, Govinda was already committed to his wife Sunita.

In a 1990 interview with Stardust, Govinda was so smitten by Neelam that he asked his wife to change herself and become like Neelam. “I would tell her to learn from her. I was merciless. Sunita would get irritated. She would tell me, ‘You fell in love with me because of what I am, don’t ever try to change me’. But I was so confused. I didn’t know what to do,” Govinda added.

The actor also shared that he had even broken off his engagement with Sunita to be with Neelam but eventually, things were resolved. The Partner actor tied the knot with Sunita in an intimate temple wedding ceremony. He also kept his marital status under wraps for a while as he felt that it might have affected his professional career.

Govinda also revealed that Neelam with whom he was working at that time didn’t know for a year. The Coolie No 1 actor shared the reason behind it and stated that he didn’t want to break the successful onscreen pair. Govinda also mentioned, “And to be honest, to a certain extent, I did exploit my relationship with Neelam for professional ends. I played dirty with her. I should have told her that I was married.”

Neelam Kothari also moved on and married a UK-based Indian businessman, Rishi Sethia in 2000 but parted ways due to irreconcilable differences. She then married Samir Soni in 2009.