Birth name: Govind Arun Ahuja
Spouse(s): Sunita Ahuja
Height: 5' 8" (1.73 m)
Govinda’s father, Arun Kumar Ahuja, was born in pre-partition Gujranwala, Punjab (now in Pakistan) on January 26, 1917. He studied in an engineering college at Lahore. Veteran producer Mehboob Khan brought him to Mumbai in 1937 and cast him in Ek Hi Raasta as the leading man. Arun was notable for acting in Mehboob Khan's Aurat (1940). Govinda's mother, Nazeem who was Muslim had converted to Hinduism and adopted the name Nirmala Devi. Arun and Nirmala first met during the making of the film Savera, in which they were cast opposite each other. They married in 1941.
The only film Ahuja ever produced was a flop. He was unable to bear the loss, his health failed. The family, living in a bungalow on Mumbai's upmarket Carter Road, was forced to move to Virar — a far flung semi-rural Mumbai suburb, where Govinda was born. The youngest of six children, his pet name Chi Chi means little finger in Punjabi, the language they speak at home. Since his father was unable to work, Nirmala Devi brought up the children through hard times in Mumbai.
He studied at Annasahb Vartak College in Vasai, Maharashtra. He graduated in commerce, but failed to find a job. He was not considered for a steward's position at the Taj Mahal hotel, because his English wasn't good enough. His father suggested films. Around this time, he saw the film Saturday Night Fever and dance became his obsession. He practiced for hours and circulated a promo of himself on a VHS cassette. Soon a fertilizer commercial came his way, followed by an Allwyn ad, finally his very first leading role in Tan Badan, which was to be directed by his uncle Anand. He started shooting for his next film Love 86 in June 1985. By mid-July, he had signed 40 others.
His first released film was Ilzaam (1986), a box office success and the fifth biggest hit of 1986. The film established him as a dancing star. He acted in a string of movies after that with mixed success. Most of the films he appeared in during the 1980s were in the action, romance or family drama genres. He was often paired opposite actress Neelam and together they appeared in several hit films such as, Love 86 (1986), Khudgarz (1987) and his brother Kirti Kumar's directed, Hatya (1988). He had success with family drama films such as Dariya Dil (1988), Jeete Hain Shaan Se (1988) and Hum (1991) as well as action films such as Marte Dam Tak (1987) and Jung Baaz (1989). He worked with David Dhawan for the first time in the 1989 action film Taaqatwar. He also worked with Rajini Kanth and Sridevi in a hit film that year titled, Ghair Khanooni.
His brother, Kirti Kumar is an actor, producer and director. His sister, Kaamini Khanna is a writer, music director, singer, anchor and founder of 'Beauty with Astrology'. Govinda has six nephews and two nieces in the entertainment industry: actors Vinay Anand, Krushna Abhishek, Aryan, Arjun Singh, Ragini Khanna, Amit Khanna, Aarti Singh and director Janmendra Kumar Ahuja. His brother-in-law, Devendra Sharma has also acted in a few Hindi films.
His maternal uncle Anand Singh, who was assistant to director Hrishikesh Mukherjee, launched him in his film, Tan Badan. Anand Singh's wife's younger sister Sunita fell in love with Govinda during the 'Mahurat' of Tan Badan. They got married on 11 March 1987. Their marriage was a closely guarded secret for the initial four years.The couple now have two children, Narmada and Yashvardhan. He narrowly escaped from death on 5 January 1994, while traveling to a studio for the shooting of Khuddar (1994), his car hit another car, resulting in him sustaining injuries to his head. Though beeding profusely, he did not cancel the shooting. After visiting a doctor, he shot for the film till midnight.
He appeared in several successful films in the 1990s. In 1992, he was seen in the critically acclaimed film, Zulm Ki Hukumat, an Indian remake of The Godfather where his performance was appreciated. He then formed a successful collaboration with David Dhawan and went onto act in 17 movies directed by him most of which were comedy films. The most successful films made by their collaboration include, Shola Aur Shabnam (1992), Aankhen (1993), Raja Babu (1994), Coolie No. 1 (1995), Saajan Chale Sasural (1996), Hero No. 1 (1997), Deewana Mastana (1997), Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998), Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999), Anari No.1 (1999) and Jodi No. 1 (2001). Dhawan and other directors frequently cast him opposite actresses such as Divya Bharati, Karishma Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Manisha Koirala, and Raveena Tandon during the 1990s.
In 2004, he joined the Congress party, and was elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower House of Parliament from Mumbai with a thumping majority of beating the five time sitting MP by over 50000 votes. In a run up to the polls, Govinda had announced that his agenda will be prawaas (transportation), swasthya (health) and gyaan (education).
During the first ten months of his tenure as a Member of Parliament (MP), he did not spend any money from his MP Local Area Development Fund of Rs. 20 million. He started utilizing his fund only when newspaper reports brought this to notice. According to the Thane district collectorate sources, Govinda committed Rs 7 to construct anganwadi, samaj mandirs and resolve drinking water problem of Vasai and Virar residents. However, work on these projects did not begin (as of August 2005), because administrative approval was being awaited. He also took credit for 80% of the quadrupling of Borivli-Virar section on Western Railway (India).
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