Bollywood. Magazines like India Today and the respectable Times Of India had begun to laud his acting skills in their reviews and profiles of him.

Most of all, he had an identity of his own. At a time when Salman and Sanjay were trying desperately to cross over from action to comedy, Shah Rukh was proving that he was as good a lover boy as a negative hero, Aamir was trying his hand at everything from action to comedy, and every hero was searching for his own niche, Govinda already stood for something clear and distinct.

He was a 'total entertainer'.

Dancing, singing, comedy, romance, drama, emotion, action... he could do it all in the space of a single film. And then in the next, and the next.

He was truly Entertainer No 1. And, as if to prove it, embarked on a series of hits which capitalised on this brand image and made it official.

Cut to Govinda in 2001. The man who came such a long way, achieved so much... suddenly finds everything vanished. Washed down the drain.

His famed dancing abilities have now become a self-caricature. His brilliant cheek-inflating smile seems false and forced.

His comedy has lost its punchline, just as his figure has lost its waistline.

His drama is nonexistent: Those recent attempts at playing wacky serial killers and tormented lovers end up seeming stupid than impressive. His film choices seem like one long series of mistakes -- even his choice of ads and brands.

Sanjay Dutt and Salman are more admired for their comedy than the Virar ka chokra.

His partner-in-comedy, director David Dhawan, has stopped working with him completely and built a solid career with other heroes. Makes you wonder whether it was Dhawan's talent for comedy or Govinda that really made the hit duo click at the BO.

Every Govinda film now seems to have a different director, many of them relatively unknown names.

While most male stars are being repeated by major directors and producers, with the partnerships and projects growing bigger and grander each time, Govinda seems to be slipping to smaller and smaller banners and films, going downhill each year.

Newcomers like Abhishek Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan seem to be making a greater impact with each new release.

A new Govinda film, on the other hand, seems to slip in and out of theatres so quietly. In fact, his Beti No 1, co-starring Rambha, came and went without anyone even noticing it!

His No 1 branding, in fact, has now become like a warning to stay away rather than an invitation to see the film!

Govinda should really ask himself: Is this really what he wanted?

With all his talent, intelligence, business savvy, charm and experience, is he really happy with the way his career has shaped up? Does he realise how much respect he has lost in just the last couple of years?

It would have been different if we thought Govinda just didn't have it. There have been any number of stars who have come up overnight thanks to luck, timing and audience taste, and disappeared without a trace in a few years, or switched over to television or other careers.

But Govinda was never that kind of actor. He is a star. An extraordinary talent. And that was obvious even in those first jhatkas and matkas of that rain-and-romance debut back in 1986.

You knew he had something special, despite his accent, dress style, dialogue delivery, his lewd, even vulgar, gestures and dance moves. You knew it and over the next ten years he proved you right. He truly was the Entertainer No. 1 of our industry, an unique brand of performer.

So what happened? What did he do wrong? Was it fate or foolishness? How did he slip down again into the BO gutter? How did he make such ridiculous choices and decisions? Why did he throw it all away?

Most of all, will he ever regain that lost magic? Or is Govinda's career finally at an end, reaching the sad climax of other talented but outdated actors like Mithun, for instance?

Has Govinda become another Mithun? Doomed to release a dozen low-budget chalu movies that even his biggest fans avoid like the plague? Or even worse, a caricature of his own former self who remains a star only in his own imagination, but who has actually been rejected and forgotten by the audiences already?