Govinda On How Rajesh Khanna Dharmendra Stood Out From Usual Stars

Although Rajesh Khanna was widely regarded as the first superstar of Hindi cinema, and Dharmendra as the "He-Man" of Bollywood, renowned actor Govinda recently revealed that neither of them ever pursued stardom or image. Rather, he said, fame followed them due to people's immense love. Govinda further pointed out that they achieved great heights through their work without being preoccupied with image-building. "There was Dharam ji, and there was Rajesh Khanna ji. They planned their work very well and executed it properly, which is why they became such big stars. They never got involved in deliberately creating an image for themselves. They concentrated on their work. Their work itself created their image," the actor pointed out during an interview with news agency ANI. Must Read | ‘He abused me, was arrogant’: Rajesh Khanna’s co-star explains his downfall When Rajesh Khanna asked Govinda: 'Why aren't you where you should be?' Mentioning that he first met Rajesh Khanna on the sets of director David Dhawan's Swarg (1990), where they shared the screen, Govinda recalled the superstar asking him, "Govinda, why aren't you where you should be?" The up-and-coming actor responded to the "very decent and innocent" Khanna that destiny decides each person's story. "Kaka, God has already decided everything. He knows the height and limits of every tree, and he knows where each tree should be planted. We are all part of this beautiful garden," Govinda told Khanna. When the superstar asked the young actor if he was "happy with what you have been given," Govinda replied, "Yes." He further described the Hindi cinema legend as "a very loving person." Don't Miss | ‘He didn’t hesitate’: Vijay’s son Jason reveals how his father backed his directorial dream Discussing Rajesh Khanna's downfall when his movies underperformed one after the other and he eventually lost his superstardom, Govinda emphasised that those who could look beyond themselves possessed a distinct quality and stood out, almost as if they carried a divine presence. 'There was something divine about them': Govinda on Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra "Tell me, how many sadhus, saints, mahatmas or fakirs have you seen? Show me one sadhu, one mahatma whose face looks like Rajesh Khanna or Dharmendra. There was something divine about them," he noted, adding that God gave Rajesh Khanna and Dharmendra something special "in their character and in their soul," which played a key role in their rise to greatness. He added, "I feel very fortunate that I received the support and affection of all these great people." While Rajesh Khanna died in 2012, Dharmendra died in 2025. ICYMI | ‘Mere ghar pe ek sher paida hua hai’: Abhishek’s birth inspired Amitabh to fight tiger on set Govinda on his career setbacks and comeback with Roopa Govinda, who was last seen in director Sikander Bharti's critical and commercial disaster Rangeela Raja (2019), is now gearing up for a comeback with the film Roopa, in which he shares the screen with Komal Rani Swarnkar. "Maybe it was destiny that I was written off so many times. People kept saying, 'Now he won't appear in films anymore.' But I always started again. I pray to God that this film achieves what I've envisioned, something people may not even imagine, and works its magic," he maintained.