Before disappearing from the big screen, Bollywood actor Neelam Kothari starred in various hit films in the 1980s and 1990s. Her association with then-superstar Govinda spanned across 14 films. In a recent interaction, she spoke about working with the Hero No 1 actor and how the two would compete to perfect their dance steps.
Speaking to Femme Forward, Neelam said, “He was a fantastic dancer and we had a lot of hit songs. Sometimes when I go for events and interviews, they play some of my old songs and I am like ‘Oh my god… I had so many hit songs with Govinda’. With Govinda, the thing was that I wanted to do my steps much better than him. So it was like hardcore competition. We had great songs and we wanted our dance moves to be perfect. We worked hard on those songs.”
Neelam shared that she and Govinda still share the same dynamic, despite not working together for years. “He used to speak to me in Hindi and I spoke to him in English and it is like that till today. We we met on Indian Idol recently, it was the same dynamic, he spoke in Hindi and I spoke in English, some things don’t change.”
Govinda and Neelam starred in so many films that rumours of their link up were also talk of the town. However, in an earlier interview Hauterrfly, Neelam rubbished such claims and said, “I think link ups was part of the whole game. There was no one to clarify. They just printed whatever they felt like and to be honest, I feel like in those days we were scared of the press. Because it was the power of the pen and it was just part of it. If you did more than 2-3 films, it was just understood that… (you two must be dating).”
Neelam and Govinda starred in hit films like Love 86 (1986), Ilzaam (1986), Sindoor (1987), Khudgarz (1987), Hatya (1988), Farz Ki Jung (1989), Billoo Badshah (1989), Taaqatwar (1989), and Do Qaidi (1989). Neelam’s last film was Kasam in 2001, and she made a comeback with Karan Johar-backed reality show Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives in 2020. The third season of the show released in 2024.
