Producer and former CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani has shed some hilarious light on actor Govinda’s viral claims about turning down James Cameron’s global blockbuster Avatar. According to Nihalani, the Avatar in question was actually a Hindi film he was making with Govinda, which never saw the light of day because the actor would “faint” while filming and eventually withdrew from the project. Nihalani recalled how Govinda confidently claimed he had turned down Cameron’s ambitious project.
“Woh Avatar title se pata nahi uske dimaag mein kya aaya,” he chuckled, explaining that Govinda had somehow mixed up his own unfinished Hindi film with the Hollywood blockbuster. In a chat with Friday Talkies, Pahlaj Nihalani clarified the confusion. “I had made a film called Avatar with him.
I had filmed 40 minutes of it, which I consider one of my best films, but it got canned. He started claiming that he was offered the Hollywood Avatar. Uske dimaag ka disc ghum gaya aur language Hindi se English mein chala gaya (I don’t know what happened to him, but he started claiming that he was offered the Hollywood Avatar).
” Nihalani revealed that he had bought the remake rights of a K Balachander-directed Rajinikanth film, with Govinda in a double role. Strange things began happening during the shoot. Govinda would suddenly claim he was fainting.
“We tried to make the film in one schedule but last minute I don’t know what almonds he ate with tea that he started fainting and us d.