Actor Neelam Kothari has now addressed the long-standing rumours about her alleged romance with Govinda during the 80s and early 90s. In a recent interview, Neelam said that she was unaware that Govinda was married when they worked together in films.
The actors have shared screen space in films like Love 86 (1986), Ilzaam (1986), and Khudgarz (1987), among many others.
During a conversation with Times Now, Neelam said that she was too young when she worked opposite Govinda and that her parents were too strict to allow her to be in a relationship.
She said, “I was too young. I didn't know that he was married. I learnt about it later. I was too young, and I had very strict parents. So, a relationship was never an option. I was always accompanied by a family member because I was very young. It wasn't because the industry was a bad place.”
Not just Neelam, her husband and actor Samir Soni, who was also doing the interview with her, also reacted to the rumours and admitted that he remained unbothered by them. “Something that may or may not have happened 20 years ago – I don't know about it. So how can I hold on to it? He still claims he was madly in love with you,” Samir shared.
During a 1990 interview with Stardust, Govinda had spoken about his feelings for Neelam and revealed that he had even broken off his engagement with Sunita Ahuja, his now-wife, because he wanted to marry Neelam. Govinda admitted that his infatuation with Neelam had become difficult to conceal.
He had said, “We met so often and the more I got to know Neelam, the more I liked her. She was the kind of woman any man would have lost his heart to. I lost mine. I couldn’t stop praising her. To my friends, to my family. Even to Sunita, to whom I was committed."
The actor acknowledged that he compared the two women and even broke off his engagement with Sunita. “I would tell Sunita to change herself and become like Neelam. I would tell her to learn from her. I was merciless. I asked Sunita to leave me. I broke off my engagement with her. Had Sunita not called me after five days and coaxed me into it again, I would probably have married Neelam. I wanted to marry her. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that."
Neelam's comment comes at a time when Govinda and Sunita are having trouble in their relationship and have openly criticised each other in public.
