Pahlaj Nihalani attributes Govinda's growing superstitions for his downfall: 'Did B-grade and C-grade movies, didn’t maintain relationships'

Film producer Pahlaj Nihalani, who is known for his collaborations with Govinda in movies like Shola Aur Shabnam, Aankhen, and Ilzaam, recently discussed factors behind the actor's career fall. Nihalani attributed this decline to Govinda's growing superstitions, which he claimed posed challenges for filmmakers.
In an interview with Friday Talkies, Nihalani remarked, "He gradually became more and more superstitious.He was always a little gullible. He would say that the chandelier is about to fall on set and ask everyone to move aside. Then he would predict that Kader Khan was going to drown. He would instruct people to change their clothes based on his superstitions. He would refuse to do certain things on certain days. All of this, combined with his tardiness and gullibility, led to his downfall."
During his prime, Govinda juggled 5–6 film projects concurrently, but this multitasking often resulted in delays, frustrating cast and crew. Nihalani recalled, "We had a connection, but there was always uncertainty working with him. He would sign dozens of B-grade and C-grade movies without a second thought. He’d be working on five or six movies at the same time; nobody would know where he was. He was constantly late and would lie. He said he was doing it for the money, and I told him that this is a dangerous way of thinking. He did things that were against the profession.”

Apart from professional challenges, Govinda struggled to maintain lasting industry relationships, crucial for trust in Bollywood. "This industry operates on trust. When trust breaks... A relationship between an actor and a producer will only last if there’s trust. He didn’t maintain relationships with anybody," Nihalani remarked.
Despite these issues, Nihalani praised Govinda as "a wonderful actor and person, emotional and devoted to family," though acknowledging his vulnerabilities. "Govinda is a great actor and a great human being. He is emotional and a great family man. But his gullibility worked against him," he said.

Nihalani and Govinda last collaborated on the 2019 film Rangeela Raja.