When Johny Lever called Govinda a ‘madman' who juggled 5–6 films in one day: ‘He would fall sick…'

Indian Express

20-06-2025

Anyone who grew up in the 90s will likely agree, when it comes to comedy, no one could touch Govinda. At one point in his career, the actor was at the very peak of both creativity and stardom. Almost everything he touched turned to gold. During this golden era, he starred in numerous comedy films, many of them helmed by director David Dhawan. He also frequently shared the screen with fellow legends of the genre like Kader Khan and Johny Lever. In an old interview with Wild Films India, Lever reminisced about working with Govinda and shared high praise for his unmatched dedication and timing in comedy.
Johny Lever said, 'Govinda works like a madman. When he works… he works with incredible intensity. He immerses himself in his work so deeply, I don't know where he gets that energy from. Comedy itself is such hard work, and in one day he used to shoot for 5–6 films, giving 2–3 hours to each. There was a time like that—doing comedy amidst such chaos. And not just comedy, but dancing too. The man would get exhausted… he would fall sick. I used to visit him at home, sometimes he had typhoid, sometimes something else. But he would bounce back, return to work, shoot fight scenes, everything. He's extremely hardworking.'
He added, 'I always enjoyed working with him. Among all the actors who do comedy, in my opinion, among all the stars, Govinda has the best timing. Akshay (Kumar) has recently polished his comic timing too… but Govinda is on another level.'
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When asked about their best collaborations, Johny Lever cited Deewana Mastana and Joru Ka Ghulam as standout films. He also recalled how exhausting the schedule used to be on set, sharing that Govinda would sometimes take breaks between takes just to recover his energy and come back recharged.