Neelam Kothari has finally spoken about the long running rumours surrounding her alleged romance with Govinda during the 1980s and early 1990s. The actors worked together in several films during that period and their on screen pairing was widely discussed at the time. In a recent interview with Times Now, Neelam revealed that she did not know Govinda was married when they worked together. She also explained that she was very young then and came from a strict family where a relationship was not something she could consider.
Neelam 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.” Her comments offer her perspective on the old rumours and the circumstances surrounding her working relationship with Govinda.
Neelam’s husband and actor Samir Soni also reacted to the topic during the interaction. Samir said that he had not allowed the old rumours to affect him because he did not know what had actually happened. “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.
Govinda had spoken openly about his feelings for Neelam in a 1990 interview with Stardust. At the time, he revealed that his feelings for Neelam had become difficult to hide. He 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.”
Govinda also admitted that he compared Neelam with Sunita Ahuja, whom he was engaged to at the time. He said, “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 latest comments have brought renewed attention to the old rumours, particularly as Govinda and Sunita Ahuja have recently been reported to be going through a difficult phase in their relationship and have made public comments about each other.
