Govinda: My daughter is in no hurry to sign her first film

Reports suggesting that Govinda’s daughter Narmada is finally making her screen debut opposite Punjabi actor Gippy has upset the veteran actor deeply.

He not only denies any truth in this but also expresses parental concern over such unfounded rumours.

“It hurts me because it hurts my child," Govinda says. "There are repeated announcements about Narmada’s debut, which prove untrue. These hurt her personally and jeopardize her career prospects. Narmada and I have waited long for her debut. We are in no hurry for her to sign her first film. We’ll wait as long as it takes to find the best possible vehicle for her.”

Govinda says premature announcements about his daughter’s debut tend to trivialize her career. “She is learnt to be patient from me. My family has gone through a lot. We are used to getting things the hard way. But when names of actors or producers are falsely mentioned, Narmada gets upset. I can understand her feelings. It’s not nice to be constantly reminded about something she is waiting for," he says.

Meanwhile, Govinda seems happy about his cameo in the big hit, Holiday.

"I was told by many well-wishers not to do the film because my role was just a cameo," he says. "But it’s very important to be part of big successful films like Holiday.”

About personal equations within the film industry Govinda says, “No one works with an actor or a director for friendship. I have many dear friends in the film industry but finally the roles come to me on merit, not because of personal equations."

Govinda is now getting ready for the release of his home production Abhinay Chakra, which stars him as a gritty cop. The film is Govinda's do-or-die effort to make a comeback as a solo hero.

In order to improve the product, Govinda has decided to postpone the release from August-end to a little ahead. The decision was taken after the team saw the edited film and thought the action scenes -- which are the film’s backbone -- needed to be boosted.

Without giving away any details, Govinda says, “I am in no hurry to release my film. By God’s grace, Abhinay Chakra has shaped up very well. I want to polish it as long as I can. A few weeks’ delay won’t make any difference, in terms of finances. But it would make a world of a difference to the end product.”

In the picture: Govinda with daughter Narmada. Photograph: Abhijit Mhamunkar.