Veteran actor Govind Namdev, widely recognised for his intense performances in films such as ‘Bandit Queen’, ‘Sarfarosh’, ‘Satya’ and ‘OMG: Oh My God’!, recently opened up about a heartbreaking episode from the beginning of his film journey. He revealed that his part in his debut movie Saudagar was entirely removed by director Subhash Ghai, a blow that left him emotionally devastated and struggling with suicidal thoughts. During that dark phase, he said, it was his wife who became his strongest pillar of support.
Govind shared that he secured the role through his National School of Drama batchmate
Anupam Kher. He recalled during an interview with The Lallantop, “I got a role in ‘Saudagar’ due to my batchmate from NSD Anupam Kher. The film shooting had already begun and he would call me to the shoot. My guru Dilip Kumar was also in the film. I used to often go on the set of that film. Once they were talking about some role, and Anupam had suggested my name. So Subhash Ghai spoke to me about it. It was an important character and I was cast in the film. ”
At the time, though new to cinema, Govind had already earned recognition in theatre. Reflecting on those days, he said, “By this time, I had done a lot of theatre and made a name for myself. I shot for the film for two days and Subhash Ghai was very happy with my performance and praised me.
I told everybody in my group that I am working with Dilip Kumar sahab, all my family and friends. ”
However, the excitement soon turned into heartbreak. Govind described how he discovered that his scenes had been removed altogether. “When the film’s dubbing was going on, I was waiting for them to call me to dub my part, but the dubbing ended. Subhash’s brother, who was a co-producer on the film, told me that the film was too long, it was 4.5 hours, and that is why my part was completely cut from the film.”
The setback hit him hard. “I became numb after hearing this, and I just thought about how I have told everyone about this and how they take me as a serious actor. Meri kitni beizzati hogi. I was just shattered after that. I started drinking beer, would roam around and sit by the ocean. If my wife was not there, I might have committed suicide. It affected me so much. I used to cry a lot holding my wife.”
Govind admitted that the episode permanently damaged his equation with Subhash Ghai. “I never spoke to Subhash Ghai after that. I started getting good films after that, so it became like a competition with him. He also never called and spoke to me,” he said, adding that the silence between them continued ever since.
