A decades old story involving Amrish Puri and Govinda has received a new twist after Amrish Puri’s son Rajeev Puri questioned the popular version of what happened between the two actors. For years, there have been reports claiming that Amrish once slapped Govinda after the actor arrived nine hours late for a film shoot. Rajeev, however, said he does not believe the incident happened, as losing his temper in such a way was not like his father.
During his appearance on Vickey Lalwani’s podcast, Rajeev was asked about the story involving the two actors. According to the widely circulated account, Amrish had reached the set for a 9 am shoot, while Govinda reportedly arrived around 6 pm. The story further claimed that Amrish became angry after waiting for several hours and allegedly slapped Govinda in front of the film unit.
Rajeev rejected the claim and explained that his father was generally not someone who would physically react in anger. “I don’t think that is true. He was never the type to lose his temper. He never lost his temper like that,” he said.
He further explained his father’s nature, saying, “He would raise his voice only after somebody irritated him twice or thrice, but otherwise, I don’t think he would have ever slapped anyone. That is not true.”
Rajeev said he had also heard and read about the incident over the years but did not consider it important enough to believe. “I have also heard and read about it, but it is not significant enough for me to think about as I know that Daddy would never do something like that.”
Although Rajeev dismissed the alleged slap, he suggested that Govinda’s reputation for arriving late could possibly have affected their professional relationship. “Because of that, perhaps Govinda did not work with Daddy in the future. Maybe he understood that coming late would not work with him, and perhaps that is why he did not work with him again,” Rajeev said.
He also said that Amrish did not hold grudges. “But I don’t think Daddy held any grudges over such things.”
Amrish Puri and Govinda worked together in Do Qaidi, released in 1989, which is widely reported to have been their final film together.
Govinda has also spoken about his late arrivals. In a podcast with ANI, he said that during the busiest period of his career, he sometimes worked four or five shifts in one day. “Who has the strength to do five shifts and still arrive on time? Nobody can do it. It’s simply not possible for anyone. How can you manage that?” he said.
He also explained that filmmakers continued approaching him despite his busy schedule. “People would come and insist I work with them, promising they’d somehow manage my time, but they didn’t end up doing that,” he added.
Govinda also spoke about the importance of health and punctuality, saying, “It’s good to come on time as long as you’re healthy. But if your health isn’t great, then everybody would turn into Govinda.”
Amrish Puri died in 2005 at the age of 72 and remains remembered for several major performances, including Mr India, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Virasat.
