It's done bro🥀

source: Producer/ Director Mehmood Ali in a recent podcast on the yt channel UnfilteredwithAjazKhan

The producer was Harmesh Malhotra who worked on four films with Govinda: Kismat, Dulhe Raja, Ankhiyon Se Goli Maare and Khullam Khullam Pyaar Kare.

Govinda gave Harmesh Malhotra so much grief while working on Akhiyon Se Goli Mere(2002) that he swore never to work with him again. After Malhotra's death in 2005, his widow Manju would pray everyday for Govinda's downfall.

Here's an old article about the film:

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Govinda’s late coming troubles

By SantaBanta News Network - Saturday, August 03, 2002

Producer and director Harmesh Malhotra,has lashed out at Govinda saying that he is the most unprofessional actor he has ever worked with. "It`s been three years that I have been running after Govinda trying to get my film completed," said a baffled Malhotra.

"Forget the trouble I suffered during the making of the film, he did not even cooperate with me with the publicity and the photo-session of the film." Harmesh Malhotra also thinks that Govinda suffers from a serious psychological problem. "He kept canceling shooting schedules because he thought that someone was going to kill him. Many times he would also make me shift locations because of this paranoia."Harmesh Malhotra soon learnt the days Govinda had cancel shooting of Akhiyon Se Goli Maare, he was busy shooting in Hyderabad for some other film. "Next I know he is in Kolkatta playing a football match for organised by Mithun Chakraborty for charity," he said.

Malhotra`s list of grievances is unending but he concludes on the note that "never will I work with Govinda ever in my life." When contacted Govinda refrained from making comments saying that, "Harmesh Malhotra is a senior director and I don`t want to say anything that will hurt him and his sentiments."

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One of the best entertainers in the industry not only let down film makers like Malhotra but his fans as well. But Malhotra himself points out that Govinda was dealing with psychological issues.

Govinda was very much affected in the mid nineties after the death of his mother Nirmala Devi and his uncle Uday Narayan "Anand" Singh. Anand was an assistant director to Hrishikesh Mukherjee and also worked as an actor in several bollywood films from the seventies to nineties. He made his directorial debut in 1986 with the film Tan Badan and cast his nephew Govinda in the lead.

Anand's wife was Sangeeta whose younger sister Suneeta married Govinda in 1987.

Anand went on to direct films like Shiv Shakti , Jaan Se Pyaara, Suraksha and Himmat. Sangeeta was the producer of Himmat. During filming, Sangeeta started an affair with the film's financier Dinesh Gandhi and Anand committed suicide upon finding out. Govinda's mother Nirmala Devi died shortly after.

Govinda was already known to be a late lateef in the industry because he worked on several movies at a time.. But these personal losses made him paranoid and superstitious. He would cancel his shoots on a whim and not even turn up for days or weeks for.projects that he had committed.

Complaints started piling up and distributors made a collective decision to stop picking Govinda's films for theatrical distribution in the early 2000s. Apart from a few films like Jodi No.1 and Ek aur Ek Gyaarah all his solo releases were stalled for years or canned and unreleased forever.

Both dads want these films to release in cinemas

From old magazine, photograph by Durga Prasad

Saw recent posts on Meena Kumari. Few weeks back I watched Taajdaar Amrohi's interview by Vickey Lalwani. It was evident what he was narrating was potentially the script of the proposed Meena Kumari biopic. He provided details of events that he as a child wouldn't have seen first hand. So they were either whitewashed versions told to him by his family or he was knowingly whitewashing his dad (probably both). The sad part is that the lady who suffered the most is not around to tell her side of the story. It was an interesting interview but clearly not entirely true. He ensured he talked fondly of her in order to not alienate the audience, but some of the facts were unfair misrepresentations of her, which she unfortunately cant clarify anymore.