Comedy veteran Govinda, who is now attempting his second run at Bollywood success following a brief detour into a short lived political career, says that though the nature of the Hindi film industry has changed since he started out, he wants to “remain an actor all my life”. One of the major things the actor has learned about the contemporary film business is the importance of the promotions machine.
“Publicity drama has become a very important part for any film now. It is an important element. That’s the only reason why some of my previous movies didn’t do well.” says the actor – whose recent forays into film have included Do Knot Disturb, Naughty@40, Life Partner and Money Hai Toh Honey Hai. Unfortunately, none of these films replicated the runaway success of Partner, the film that marked Govinda’s return to the film industry following a stint in Congress representing Mumbai North. The actor puts this solely down to the failure to adequately promote the films.
“We have to take care of promotions now. Earlier it was not part of filmmaking. I always thought that after completing my shooting, my work is over. But now, from the time you sign the project till the film hits the screen, you have to be on your toes. It is very important to convey what you are doing and reach out to the audiences in the remote areas. Film promotion is a tough job, but is a necessity now.”
While his contemporaries are branching out into other aspects of the industry, Govinda rules out directing, but says he would give production another go, having ventured into production once before, with Ssukh in 2005. “I will prefer production any day. Direction is a very difficult job. You have to consider a lot of things when you get into that league. It is not my cup of tea. I don’t think I can do it. I want to remain young, I want to remain an actor all my life.”
Govinda can currently be seen in Loot, alongside Suniel Shetty, Jaaved Jaffery and Ravi Kissen.
