Best known for his roles in David Dhawan's comedies, there's more to know Govinda.
Actor Govinda was born on 21 December 1963. His father Arun Ahuja was a small time actor and had acted in Mehboob Khan's Aurat (1940). Arun met Govinda's mother Nirmala during the making of the film Savera, in which they were cast opposite each other. They married in 1941.
Arun Ahuja then turned producer and the only film he ever produced was a flop. Unable to bear the loss, his health failed. The family, living in a bungalow on Mumbai's upmarket Carter Road, was forced to move to Virar - a far flung semi-rural Mumbai suburb, where Govinda was born.
The youngest of six children-his pet name Chi Chi means little finger in Punjabi, the language they speak at home. Since his father was unable to work, Nirmala Devi brought up the children through hard times in Mumbai.
He studied at Annasahb Vartak College in Vasai, Maharashtra. He graduated in commerce, but failed to find a job. He was not considered for a steward's position at the Taj Mahal hotel because his English wasn't good enough. His father suggested films.
Around this time, Govinda saw the film Saturday Night Fever and dance became his obsession. He practised for hours and circulated a promo of himself on a VHS cassette. Soon a fertiliser commercial came his way, followed by an Allwyn ad, finally his very first leading role in Tan Badan which was to be directed by his uncle Anand Singh.
He started shooting for his next film Love 86 in June 1985. By mid-July, he had signed 40 movies.
His first film to be released Ilzaam (1986) was a box office success and fifth biggest hit of 1986.The film established him as a dancing star. He acted in a string of movies after that with mixed success.
Most of the films he appeared in during the 1980s were in the action, romance or family drama genres. He was often paired opposite actress Neelam and together they appeared in hit films such as Love 86 (1986), Khudgarz (1987) and his brother Kirti Kumar's directed Hatya (1988).
It was rumored that Govinda initially wanted to marry actress Neelam with whom he had made many films but eventually gave up and married Sunita according to his mother's wish.
He met Sunita, who is his maternal uncle Anand Singh's wife's younger sister during the mahurat of his movie Tan Badan. They got married on 11 March 1987. Their marriage was a closely guarded secret for the initial four years.
The couple have two children, Narmada and Yashvardhan.
He had success with family drama films such as Dariya Dil (1988) and Jeete Hain Shaan Se (1988) as well as action films such as Marte Dam Tak (1987) and Jung Baaz (1989).
He worked with David Dhawan for the first time in the 1989 action film Taaqatwar. He also had a hit film that year with Rajinikanth and Sridevi in Ghair Khanooni.
He acted in Zulm Ki Hukumat, an Indian remake of Godfather where his performance was appreciated.
He then formed a successful collaboration with David Dhawan and went onto act in 17 movies directed by him most of which were comedy films. The most successful films during their collaboration included Shola Aur Shabnam (1992), Aankhen (1993), Raja Babu (1994), Coolie No. 1 (1995), Saajan Chale Sasural (1996), Hero No. 1 (1997), Deewana Mastana (1997), Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998), Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999), Anari No. 1 (1999), Jodi No. 1 (2001).
The Govinda and David Dhawan duo made a successful comeback with Partner followed by a not-so-successful Do Knot Disturb.
David Dhawan and other directors frequently cast him opposite actresses such as Divya Bharati, Karishma Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Manisha Koirala, and Raveena Tandon during the 1990s.
Govinda paired up with Amitabh Bachchan first in Hum, which was a blockbuster in 1991. The two acted together again after seven years in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan in 1998.
Govinda made a comeback to films in late 2006 with the comedy film Bhagam Bhag alongside Akshay Kumar which was a success.
His first 2007 release was the huge multi-starrer Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love. Although a box office disappointment, Govinda was praised for his performance.
His second 2007 release was the David Dhawan directed comedy Partner, which also had Salman Khan in the lead was a huge hit.
Following the success of Amitabh Bachchan's Kaun Banega Crorepati, Govinda too made a foray into television as a host of the game show Jeeto Chhappad Phaad Ke in 2001.
In 2004, Govinda joined the Congress party, and was elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower House of Parliament from Mumbai with a thumping majority of beating the 5 time sitting MP by over 50000 votes.
During his tenure as the Member of Parliament, he was never played any active role. He was mostly absent while the house was in session. He also did not participate in any debates or raise any queries regarding his constituency. On 20 January 2008, he has decided to quit politics to concentrate on his acting career in Bollywood.
Govinda has also joined Mani Ratnam's bilingual project Raavan along with Vikram, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai. The movie is set to release in 2010.
Govinda's daughter Narmada is also all set to make her Bollywood debut soon.
