In a throwback interview, Govinda accepted calling off his engagement with Sunita for actress, Neelam Kothari.
The quintessential Hero No. 1 of Bollywood, Govinda ruled the industry for many years with his spectacular dance moves and impeccable comic timing. Born as Govind Arun Ahuja, the actor appeared in more than 165 Hindi films in a career that lasted more than three decades. With films like Dulhe Raja, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Partner, Bhagam Bhag, and many more, Govinda proved his versatility as an actor.
On the personal front, the handsome actor got married to Sunita Munjal on March 11, 1987, in an intimate temple wedding ceremony and kept it a secret from the media for four years. The couple is proud parents to Tina Ahuja and Yashvardhan Ahuja and are leading a happy marital life. However, there was a time when Govinda was head-over-heels in love with actress, Neelam Kothari and even broke his engagement with Sunita.
Govinda first met Neelam during the shooting of his debut film, Ilzaam, in 1986. Their on-screen chemistry was unmatched, and fans loved seeing them together. Govinda was mesmerised by Neelam’s beauty, and the duo formed a great off-screen bond, too. Govinda was dating Sunita back then, and he would often compare her with Neelam and even try to mould her to become like the actress.
While Govinda often compared his then-girlfriend Sunita to Neelam, she would get irritated, and the two would often fight over the same. In an old interview with Stardust, Govinda revealed an instance when he called off his engagement with Sunita for Neelam. Speaking about the same, he said:
“After I started getting busier, my relationship with Sunita went through a change. She began feeling insecure and jealous. And I was of no help. She would nag me and I would lose my temper. We had constant fights. In one of those fights, Sunita said something about Neelam, and I lost my head and called it quits. I asked Sunita to leave me. I broke off my engagement with her. And had Sunita not called me after five days and coaxed me into it again, I would probably have married Neelam."
Govinda had tied the knot with Sunita in an intimate temple wedding ceremony and kept it a secret. Since the news of his marriage would have affected his flourishing career, he decided not to disclose the same. In the same interview with Stardust, Govinda shared that he played dirty by not informing Neelam, whom he loved passionately, about his marriage with Sunita. In his words:
“Neither did Neelam know about it. She got to know only after a year. I probably did not tell her because I did not want to break this successful screen pair. And to be honest, to a certain extent, I did exploit my personal relationship with Neelam for professional ends. I played dirty with her. I should have told her that I was married.”
It was only after the birth of his daughter, Tina Ahuja, that Govinda announced the news of his wedding to Sunita.
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