The heartthrob confesses!

Pulling a strand of hair at the nape of his neck, Govinda continues warily, "There was always a lot of fooling around on the sets. Though I am a very serious person, I can't sit quiet for long. She is a lovely person and very understanding. And though she's so young, she has matured very fast. This happens to a person who's been in this industry. She tends to act very childish at times and people are often rude and cheeky with her. I have been witness to this and get very upset when they get away with it. Even though she is so hurt, she can't bring herself to give back as good as she gets. She gets very protective about the person she cares for. I should know. At that time, I was going through a very bad phase and she was very kind. She was all that a friend should be and is very dear to me." Don't you feel you're seeing only what you want to see? She cares a lot more than that. "I am aware of that. She did get serious about me." Govinda is torn between not wanting to hurt her and clearing up the issue as gently as possible. "In fact, Khushboo has expressed her interest in me. I could have easily taken advantage and gone right ahead into an affair. But I'm not made that way. In my own way, I care a lot for her. And I respect her too much to even think of doing such a thing. I didn't know how to handle this delicate matter without hurting her feelings. I tried to explain to her as best as I could. But I think she's taken it badly. "I told her, that my mother would never accept her. I gave her enough reasons to justify my refusal to go ahead with such a relationship. I don't want to talk about it in detail, because it's a very touchy subject." In spite of having such good films, Khushboo's career never took off. You have more than 30 films at present, but none of them are with Khushboo. Did you start refusing films because of these personal problems? "Even Khushboo was very upset, because I was hardly doing any films with her. I assured her that it was not my fault. I have never suggested heroines to my producers. Recently, I signed two films with her and that has cleared the air between us. We are back to our old footing. And I have even told her about Soni." Who is Soni? The gleam in his eye is unmistakable. "She's the one I'm in love with. I met her about a year ago. I would love to go on talking about her. But if I open my mouth, my relatives will feel I've grown too big for my boots. They will feel I am shooting my mouth off like a star. I'm expected to keep it private." But with a little coaxing he opens up. "She's only 17 and is still in school. But that's because she failed twice. I used to bully her a lot and make her kachara all the time. I really don't know how and when things changed. I was suddenly in love." She must be very pretty. What's her real name and where did you meet her? "Her name is Sunita and lookswise, she is very ordinary. I met her at my Uncle Anand's place (the director of Tan-Badan). She is his younger sister-in-law." Do you see her often? When do you plan to marry her? "Not for a long time yet. I want to concentrate on my career. I'm shooting day in and day out, and hardly have any time to spare. Whenever I can, I go over to her place. I'm a very straightforward person. And everyone concerned is aware of my honourable intentions." Govinda's story has been a big success. Whether it's his career or love life. Ironically, both have a tinge of sadness. Govinda's sister did not live to see his success, though she was part of his struggle. In his love story, Khushboo has been the sacrificing spectator. While thousands of girls are dying to hook him, an ordinary girl Soni, has won his heart. Sorry girls (including Khushboo)- Govinda gela re gela... This article has been reproduced from the older issue of CineBlitz. Copyrights exclusively owned by VJM Media.