Ace Bollywood choreographer Chinni Prakash has made some of the biggest stars in Indian cinema, including Amitabh Bachchan, Govinda, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Salman Khan, dance to his choreography. In a recent interview, Chinni reflected on his memorable collaborations with Govinda, sharing behind-the-scenes anecdotes from films such as Hum, Pyaar Karke Dekho, and Akhiyon Se Goli Maare.
During a conversation with Friday Talkies, Chinni revealed that Govinda initially didn’t want him to choreograph a song in Pyaar Karke Dekho, but the two eventually grew close. “At that time, Govinda was closer to a choreographer and he wanted him to do that song. But, S Ramanathan said that I’ll do it. Then, Pyaar Karke Dekho was started. Govinda became very close to me after that film. He introduced me to Mr. Mukul Anand. He was a visionary.”
Praising Govinda’s amazing dance skills, he shared, “Sanam Mere Sanam (song from Hum) was completely shot by me; Mukul left everything on me. Govinda was a youngster at that time. He had just gotten married. Young blood. He was a dancing star, not a romance star. He was a masala commercial dancer. He was a trendsetter. Govinda is a dancer professionally. He can become a choreographer as well. He was that talented – timing, beat, style, knows what not to do. It is very difficult to get such a person.”
Chinni Prakash also worked with Govinda in Coolie No.1 and Ankhiyon Se Goli Maare. Describing how choreographing the actor was both a challenge and a delight, Chinni said, “Whatever you do, he will say something else. You have to prepare your mind in a way and do something that won’t make him say anything. I had strong assistants. They used to show him the step. He would then take your steps to another level.”
He added, “For Ankhiyon Se Goli Maare, both Raveena and Govinda had an amazing style. We only had a cameraman, trolly, shooting in a garden, a normal crane, but the performances that they gave were crazy. Everything depends on actors.”
Chinni Prakash then spoke about Govinda’s work ethic. He said, “I haven’t seen an actor like him. There was a situation in his life. He was shooting 4-6 films everyday at one point. I don’t know if he was a robot or human, and he did that for years. We get tired in a single shoot. Even if he was late, he used to cover the balance work after arriving. But, you can’t expect him to come exactly at 9, because he might be at another film’s set at that time.”
