David Dhawan defends Govinda against claims of arriving late on set; recalls actor performing a 4-page scene in one take

Filmmaker David Dhawan has supported Govinda amid complaints about his tardiness on set, praising his talent.

Filmmaker David Dhawan has collaborated with Govinda in as many as 17 films, and a majority of them turned out to be major box-office successes. However, many directors and Govinda’s co-actors have often complained about him arriving late on set and making others wait. Now, in the latest episode of The Great Indian Kapil Show, David Dhawan defended Govinda against the allegations of being late on set.

David Dhawan praises Govinda, calls him an incredible actor.

David Dhawan defends Govinda

David praised Govinda, calling him one of the best actors he has ever worked with. He said, “Here I want to tell you, log bolte hain na late aata hai sets par, aaj kaun nahi late aata hai? Woh aata hai, apna kaam khatam kar ke jaata hai (People say that he comes late to the sets, but tell me who doesn’t arrive late these days? He arrives, completes his work and then leaves).”

The filmmaker added, “And you will not believe it. He would show up and ask for his scene. It would be a four-page scene. He would go through it thoroughly while I was setting up the shot. He said, ‘Don’t set it up yet. Do one thing. Here’s the scene. Watch me perform. I’ll do it in one take.’ This was in Partner. He did all kinds of acrobatics in that scene; you can’t imagine. Then he told me to edit the scene however I wanted. Unbelievable. Govinda is incredible.”

David made his directorial debut with the 1989 film Taaqatwar, which featured Sanjay Dutt, Govinda, Neelam Kothari, and Anita Raj. After this, they went on to work together in several successful films, including Shola Aur Shabnam, Raja Babu, Coolie No. 1, Hero No. 1, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, and Biwi No. 1, among others.

The duo became known for delivering multiple box-office hits together. However, after Do Knot Disturb, they never worked together again.

David Dhawan’s upcoming film

While Govinda has been away from the big screen since his last release, Rangeela Raja, David Dhawan is now awaiting the release of his upcoming film Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. The film stars Varun Dhawan, Pooja Hegde, and Mrunal Thakur in the lead roles, along with Jimmy Shergill, Mouni Roy, and Rohit Saraf in key roles.

The film was earlier scheduled to release in theatres on June 5. However, to avoid a box-office clash with Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups, starring Yash, the makers shifted the release date to June 12, 2026.

The makers said in a statement, “We strongly believe that it is always healthier for the industry when filmmakers support one another rather than compete unnecessarily on the same date. In that spirit of solidarity, we have decided to move the release of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai to 12th June and bring our film to audiences a week later.”