Actor Govinda has reacted to the jokes and memes cracked by the internet at his expense after his claims of rejecting James Cameron’s Avatar. Govinda stands by his earlier statement and has said that people may choose to believe or not believe him.
Speaking to Bombay Times, Govinda said his daughter keeps him updated about what’s happening on the internet. “I am fine with people wondering how someone like Govinda could refuse a James Cameron film. I can understand where they are coming from. I respect that thought. They are entitled to have that opinion, but to say how come Govinda got that offer in the first place, is wrong,” he said. Govinda added that by not believing him, people are displaying ‘prejudiced behaviour’. “It’s not like meri aukat nahi hai. (It’s not like I don’t deserve it) It’s prejudiced behaviour. Chai wala aagey kaise badh sakta hain? TV actors films mein kaise aa sakte hain? (How can a tea-seller rise so high and how can television actors work in films) This is that same elitist, superiority complex. Yeh galat hai. Aapko vishwas nahi karna hai toh mat kijiye (This is wrong. Don’t believe me if you don’t want to), but don’t say things like these,” he said.
When you smoke weed for the first time#Govinda #Avatar pic.twitter.com/jaGGA5Hnd3
— ᴘᴀʙʟᴏ 🌿 (@Papa__Pablo) July 30, 2019
Govinda had said in an interview to journalist Rajat Sharma, on his show Aap Ki Adalat, that he was offered the lead role in director James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster, Avatar. He rejected the film as he didn’t want to wear the body paint for hours (there was no body paint involved. The blue skin of the Na’vi people was created by CGI and motion capture tech) and didn’t have the dates for the film either. “Cameron wanted me to shoot for 410 days. For someone like me, to get painted all over the body was something I could not do. So, I apologised. But like I said, the film went on to become a super hit.”
Soon after Govinda’s interview went on air, Twitter left comments on social media, finding it hard to trust Govinda’s claims. One user wrote: “Govinda saying that he was offered Avatar is like saying Salman Khan was offered the Nobel Prize for physics.” Another one tweeted: “Govinda was offered the role of Iron man but he rejected as he doesn’t fit in an iron suit.”
Govinda talked about the internet’s reaction to his claims saying, “People making a laughing stock of me is not new. I was mocked even at the beginning of my career because I dared to become an actor. They thought, I am from Virar gaon, yeh kaise hero banega (how could he be the hero) Even after my films did well, a certain section of people believed iska success toh fluke hai (his success is by fluke).”
The actor also detailed why he rejected Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. “I didn’t do that film, but told him (Boyle) it will do well. I loved the thought of the film that you don’t have to be highly educated to make it big in life, you have to be street-smart. However, I had two objections with that film… the poop scene in the beginning and the title. I wasn’t comfortable with the word ‘Slumdog’ and that scene.” The role ultimately went to Anil Kapoor.