The one thing the Mumbai film industry is....despite the nepotism, depspite the star children phenomenon, etc, etc, is it is a land of Opportunity. Your ethnicity, where you came from, where your parents came from, what you household income is, etc, etc, for the most part mean nothing if the AUDIENCE LIKES YOU.

The year was 1986, a person came from a non descript suburb of Virar, I am guestimating that he came in a local train (The Virar Local was on the Western Rail route). Some say he is sindhi, some punjabi, it does not matter!! never did. Some laughed at his dress sense, some still do, it does not matter!! never did. Some said he was a poor man's Mithuin, some called him Virar ka Chokra, it does not matter!! never did. Some called him a fluke, some "what were the audience thinking," it does not matter!! never did AND NEVER WILL. Cause the AUDIENCE LIKES YOU...period. End of argument.

He came to become a dancer, nothing more!! Call it fate ka ILZAAM, but he came and told the audience "MAIN AAYA TERE LIYE!" And the audience accepted him with open arms and 21 years later, still accept him in Salaam E Ishq and Partner. The most understated and non descript phenomena in Bollywood cinema, Govind Kumar Ahuja, also going by the understated and non descript names of Chi Chi and Govinda, had arrived and how!!

Govinda Ala Re!!!

Happens once a year in Mumbai, but Chi Chi was here to stay, throughout the year. A person who was acknowledged, rather grudgingly, by the snobbish and the party circuit (many of whom unknowingly would be dancing at his very songs during the phase of Disco Dandia), was my defense in moderation and equalization.

Coming that I am from the snobbish South Mumbai brigade, speaking that I do English by choice (although I am very confident of my spoken Hindi and can understand everyword of Punjabi and a lot of Marathi and Gujrati and some Sindhi), starting an "intelligent" organizton like SAAFA that promtoes the works of intelligent filmmakers (Nagesh, Satyajit Ray, etc) that I did....Govinda...was and is....my moderation....my Mumbai genes,.......where sitting in the local train...the guy or the woman next to me gives a damn about my background or foreground...that's more Delhi....Govinda brings about that balance in conversations and that sense of "earthiness" to me. When I talk and praise him, as I have over the years, there is still a shock factor on people. I can "hear" their thoughts of "yeah that is fine, just don't talk about HIM here and now." But I can't help it. I love the guy's spirit, his zutspah, his survival instinct, his "I am who I am, take it or lump it."

But he needed a Salman to bail him out!!

Well so what...he has bailed out some of the best and brightest we have had in the past. A certain AB for starters. Before Bade Miyan Chote Miyan came out, Mr Bade Miyan was going through a major career crises, until Chote Miyan, helped him out...the list is endless. Raveen Tandon, Karishma Kapoor. Why even "category A director" Rakesh Roshan, was "assisted" in his journey by Govinda agreeing to not show any ego (Khudaari) and doing KHUDAAR for him...so he's bailed out his share of folks....and what goes around does in fact come around.

Raju remained Raju, Nahi Bana Gentleman!!!

And that worked just fine in Salaam E Ishq. He return to his roots. Maybe he never wanted to be the Gentleman.Where, to the "outsider" his role was comical, to Govinda, Nikhil probably told him to show up on the sets and not do anything, as long as he did not overdo it. Cause I think deep inside he is very self assured on who he really is and knows himself extremely well and that itself is a positive sign. He is the Brad Gilbert of Tennis, the Ravi Shastri of Cricket....I will be ME, I am not X I am not Y. Just my very existence is an UPSET (as a upset in tennis or a victory of that, which was not supposed to happen at ALL). Assessments can vary, verdict on the movie can vary, but Raju of Salaam E Ishq, probably did a lot more for RAJU, than it did for the others, in getting him back into the one set of folks who are the reason for the bread and butter in the film industry....the AUDIENCE!!

But he can do only comedy!!!

Two responses. Firstly this is not a school debate going on, this is the REAL INDUSTRY of FILMS, where people's livelihood depends on the success of what is visually being shown and if a certain visual perception keeps the rupees flowing, keeps the food coming, let the debaters do what they do best....argue/analyze/dissect...cause they are not contributing to the bottom line anyway, so who cares about them, let WHAT WORKS, continue to WORK!

Secondly, the underlying assumption is false anyway. Two of Govinda's biggest hits have been Shola aur Shabnam and Khuddar . In both, his role was not only comic, but had a lot of elements to it. In fact in S aur S, the transition from a comedy film to a serious thriller were so sudden and so drastic, that it worked wonderfully well. The common theme in both the parts was Chi Chi. Ditto in Khuddar. Sure it had other characters too, but if he had played an out and out bufoon, then Rakesh Roshan and David Dhawan would be making similar kinds of films...and nothing of that sort happened.

It's not that he has not tried. Mahesh Bhatt's Awwargi (not Awwarapan) with Anil and Meenakshi and Shikaar (where he matched wits with noted Artsy and Intelldent actor, Nirmal Pandey of Train To Pakistan and Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin fame), were solid performances, and very convincing too, just that the AUDIENCE did not spend that much money on these films.

So it is good that dancer Sitara Devi's son is back in the scheme of things. Whether he is a good MP or not I don't know and couldn't care less, what I know is that his place, his position in the grander scheme of things, when a history book of Bollywood and popular cinema is mentioned...will be set!!!

I don't care about Madam Tusaad's anyway!!!! It does not bring a joy or a smile to my face.

More power to the "poor man's Mithuin," cause he can entertain me and a whole lot of other folks, quite effortlessly.

Sincerely,



Vivek "yes, yes, we will never have a Govinda festival, but you know what I feel about festivals anyway!" Kumar