Govinda is making a comeback with his next movie, Aa Gaya Hero. While his last few films have not helped his career, he takes Aa Gaya Hero as a challenge. The actor says he has survived with his hard work and love of fans. He is sure to bounce back in his signature Govinda-style. “I am looking forward to Aa Gaya Hero. I am hoping it will be a super hit and I’ll get more work,” he says.
“I completed 30 years in the industry in 2016. I’ll use Aa Gaya Hero to start my career anew. I took time, but with this, people will see my comeback. It compels me to think of my dying spirit and to come out of it in a higher realm. I got inspired by the movie’s title. I am telling all youngsters that we all start life at zero, but every human being is a hero in real life. He goes down to zero at times, but he has to rise again and fight it out. Life is all about working hard,” says the 53-year-old actor.
In Aa Gaya Hero, Govinda plays a police officer. “I have always been enjoying life. One has to continue working. I have not been offered good work of late. Only a few production houses have approached me. The producer era is no more. A film’s release, which was done by distributors earlier, has stopped. Cinema making has become tough and expensive. Only a handful of people are making films. Actors have turned producers and are all doing well for themselves.”
He gets upset about how his film does. “I do pranayam and puja. I have started going to parties to relax. I spend time with friends and colleagues. Thanks to my wife Sunita who has brought about this change in me,” he says.
Govinda blames his career’s setback on his lack of education. “When I was on top, I was not good enough because I was not educated. I was not educated enough to converse with other actors. They are all educated. It was impossible for them to work with me. They used the right words and expressed themselves correctly. I was naive and uneducated. I managed to scrape through because of my good looks and hard work.”
Why didn’t he seek help from his friends in Bollywood? “Friends will be friends. Competition and jealousy is a part of everyone’s life. Let them do well for themselves. They have made a place for themselves.”
There were days when he missed all the adulation and love of his fans. “I do feel lonely, especially after having stardom and love. Sometimes loneliness can lead to depression, but fortunately, I had my family to fall back on and my mother’s blessings. During my younger days, we went through a bad patch and I stood by my mother. I know when my audience comes to see my film, they want to see Govinda and his antics. I tell them to enjoy the film and not add logic to it.”
Unlike other actors, he did not turn to the small screen. “I did a few shows that became big hits, but I didn’t flourish. My shows were above average on Zee TV. How you work on TV is a technical game. I am beyond that and I cannot play it the way I used to earlier.”
He says the key to success is to reinvent all the time. “The whole persona is so important for an actor. It’s tough to impress people. You have to keep working hard and there is nothing beyond that. I have been experimenting all the time. I am ready to play a father or grandfather, but give me some work. I want to work with people who are interested in making good cinema.”
Does he want to chronicle his life into a biography? “I cannot write my biography now. Cricketers can write about their achievements at a younger age. I have had a very good life. Maybe after the age of 55, I’ll write a book. People tell me I have seen hard times. A lot of people come to the industry and work hard, but they don’t achieve fame and success. I have begun my life again with a fresh approach and I won’t look back now.”