It is no secret that Vikas Bahl had approached Govinda to play the role of Alia Bhatt’s father in his upcoming film Shandaar. But the reason for Govinda’s exit was often misconstrued in multiple false reports. A leading website even claimed that the reason was purely monetary as Govinda quoted an obnoxious amount for the role, which was apparently higher than Shahid was charging for the film. In an interview to Koimoi, ahead of Kill Dil‘s release Govinda rubbished the report and clarified the real reason.
He said, “I was told that they will come to me for narration but they couldn’t do it due to their packed schedule and prior work. They kept busy. When there was 15 days left for the film to begin filming, I was told that they will give me a narration on the sets of the film. Then I decided it won’t work for me because this is not how I function. Though I am extremely fond of Vikas and the people in the film are very nice people but this did not work because I wanted the narration that could not happen. I wanted to know who was doing what in the film.”
Govinda
But then again when Govinda made a comeback, he was playing flimsy roles in blockbuster films. Shandaar was obviously a more chunkier role relatively. But Govinda said that his intention of working in miniscule parts in big films was necessary to convey something bigger. Talking about his tint stint in Holiday, he said, “When I came back to the industry, I signed 9 films. I did it only to convey a message that I am working again. Whoever came my way with work, I said yes to them. I had said a yes for Shandaar too. When I saw the original Thuppaki, I thought it had the quality of a hit. Sometimes it is good to be part of a successful film than to be struggling in a film that won’t get visibility and wide release.”
Govinda was replaced by Pankaj Kapur in Shandaar and the film currently is being shot in Leeds, U.K. Shahid and Alia play a dysfunctional couple, suggest reports but given that Shahid has just delivered a Haider to his credit, the expectations from him have soared.
