Govinda’s near-death confession: How Dilip Kumar forced him to walk away from 25 movies

Bollywood’s comedy king Govinda once came terrifyingly close to losing his life — and it was none other than legendary star Dilip Kumar who stepped in to save him from disaster.

At the peak of his superstardom in the 90s, Govinda was juggling dozens of films, shooting round-the-clock without a break. But the madness of nonstop work soon landed the ‘Partner’ actor in the hospital.

During an appearance on “The Kapil Sharma Show”, Govinda made a shocking confession about the toll his hectic schedule took on his health.


“I survived because of Mr. Dilip,” Govinda revealed.

When Kapil Sharma asked him what exactly happened, Govinda recalled, “One day, I was hospitalized and he called me.”

Concerned about his condition, Dilip Kumar reportedly asked him why his health had deteriorated so badly. Govinda admitted that he had been shooting continuously for 15 days without rest.

Hearing this, Dilip Kumar warned the actor that he was destroying his own life and advised him to immediately walk away from 25 films.

Govinda, however, told the veteran actor that he had already accepted money from producers and could not back out. That’s when Dilip Kumar reportedly suggested a person who could arrange a loan for him so he could return the money and quit the projects.

“So, I left 25 films. I am alive because of that,” Govinda said.

After debuting with “Love 86” in 1986, Govinda went on to become one of Bollywood’s biggest entertainers with blockbuster hits like “Raja Babu”, “Coolie No. 1”, “Hero No. 1”, “Deewana Mastana”, “Dulhe Raja”, and “Bade Miyan Chote Miyan”.

The actor was last seen on the big screen in the 2019 film “Rangeela Raja”, alongside Shakti Kapoor.