Ever since his last release Coolie No 1, which came out in 2020, David Dhawan has been on a break. The filmmaker is waiting to come up with something genuinely interesting. “I’ve worked on six-seven ideas and will see which one to take forward first. But everybody is asking for something fresh and I need to be sure of what I am offering them,” says Dhawan.

Making entertaining films, and with the right actors, is not easy, points out the ace director. “Dharmendra used to offer that entertainment, followed by Govinda. Later Salman (Khan) also started doing it in his films. But trust me, it’s not an easy job,” says the director, adding that this was exactly why Govinda was his favourite.

“Uske saath kaam karne ke baad mujhe aagey kisi aur ke saath kaam karne mein takleef hoti thi. He is such a brilliant actor. Performance jo woh deta tha, wo baat mujhe doosri jagah mil hi nahin paati thi. Even while working with Varun (Dhawan, actor and the director’s son), I used to address him as Govinda. Usi ka naam nikalta hai. Govinda is a bad habit — uski aadat lag jaati hai. He is a total star,” shares the filmmaker.

Known for directing over 40 films in his career, Dhawan — who collaborated with the actor in films such as Raja Babu (1994), Hero No 1 (1997) Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998), Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999) and Partner (2008) — is disappointed that the actor never received the position in the industry that he deserved.

“He did not get enough credit for the kind of work he did. People love and remember him even today, but jo credit use milna chahiye, wo nahin mila. He deserves to be called a superstar,” Dhawan says.

With a remake of another of his films, the 1998 action comedy Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, in the works, the filmmaker says he will never remake Raja Babu, one of Dhawan and Govinda’s most-loved collaborations. “Maybe Varun can get into the shoes of Govinda and play that role, but I don’t want to do it with him. I feel scared to touch it because it’s one of my best films. Woh Hindustan ki mitti ki film hai,” he wraps up.