Salman Khan Was Paid More Than Govinda For Partner; David Dhawan Said, 'Rs 15 Crore Ke Do Khade Hain'

News18

23-04-2025

Besides Salman Khan and Govinda, the David Dhawan directorial venture also starred Katrina Kaif and Lara Dutta.
Salman Khan and Govinda's film, Partner, was well-loved by the audience and became a huge hit upon its release. However, although Govinda had been a star for several years, his payment for the film was much less than that of Salman Khan. While Salman's fee was Rs 10 crore, Govinda was paid Rs 5 crore for the film. In a recent chat, writer Alok Upadhyaya opened up about how the actors' fees were revealed during the making of Soni De Nakhre.
'David Dhawan meets all expectations in terms of a filmmaker of commercial cinema. While shooting, all things like editing and other aspects would go on in his mind simultaneously. He knows everything about cinema. His aim was always to make the film better commercially," Alok told Lightscameramasti.
He recalled, 'During the shooting of the song (Soni De Nakhre), the choreographer had set 2-3 long shots. David sahab came to me and said, 'One actor is charging Rs 10 crore, the other Rs 5 crore — that's Rs 15 crore standing there, and only their legs are being shown. Shoot a close-up of both Govinda and Salman.'"
Alok added, 'David sahab got impatient and called the choreographer over, saying, 'You're shooting Rs 50 worth of flower pot, Rs 10 of decoration. My film won't mint money with these things. Jo Rs 15 crore ke do khade hain, unke close mar (The two who are charging Rs 15 crore — take close-up shots of them).'"
Besides Salman Khan and Govinda, the David Dhawan directorial venture also starred Katrina Kaif and Lara Dutta. However, their remuneration for the film isn't known. Partner, released in 2010, was a remake of Will Smith's Hollywood film called Hitch. The film revolved around a love guru who takes on a client and gets him to woo his lady love, all while trying to impress someone special in his life.
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