Govinda, who turned 51 recently, is unique in Bollywood for his ability to dance and act well at the same time, says his popular co-star of many films, Raveena Tandon. She hopes that his daughter Narmada has inherited his enthusiasm and passion for movies. “There cannot be another Govinda. I had the pleasure of doing six films with him. What a fantastic journey it has been for Govinda, and still a long way to go. He is one of the simplest and sweetest co-stars I’ve worked with, absolutely hassle free and not threatened by the presence of any co-star, no matter how formidable. And what a humongous talent,” Raveena said.
Together they featured in films like ‘Dulhe Raja’ and ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ and danced to numbers which went on to become chartbusters.
Talking about it, the ravishing actress said: “He is a rare combination of actor and dancer…Doing scenes and songs with him was a learning experience for me. We did a lot of very popular songs and dances.
“But ‘Ankhiyon se goli marey’ and ‘Kisi disco mein jaaye’ were the most popular. You won’t believe this, but both songs were shot and finished in one day. We shot from sunrise to sunset and we were done. This was a record of sorts at a time when each song took four to five days to shoot.
“But that’s Govinda’s lightning speed on his feet. And I’d also be inspired into matching his steps. The dance steps were intricate and still there’d be no stress. We enjoyed our songs and dances. And there would be a healthy competition with each other about who did the steps better,” she recollected.
Raveena doesn’t meet Govinda much nowadays as both are busy with their own lives but she has heard that his daughter Narmada is going to make her film debut.
“I am sure she has inherited Govinda’s zest for dancing and (his art of) enjoying himself while acting,” she added.UNB