Shah Rukh Khan would smoke constantly, slept for just four hours; Salman Khan didn’t interact much on Wanted set: Govind Namdev
Shah Rukh Khan would smoke constantly, slept for just four hours; Salman Khan didn’t interact much on Wanted set: Govind Namdev
Veteran actor Govind Namdev said that he had heard about "workaholics," but hadn't actually seen one in action until he met superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The actor recalled his time with SRK when they were shooting for the 2000 drama Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. In an interview with Bollywood Bubble, Govinda Namdev said that because Shah Rukh was also producing the film, he was going above and beyond his responsibilities as an actor. Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani was backed by Dreamz Unlimited, founded by Shah Rukh, his actor friend Juhi Chawla, and filmmaker Aziz Mirza, who helmed the film.
"I had heard a lot about workaholics, jinhe sirf kaam ki dhun hoti hai. I had heard about them, but I saw it the first time when I worked with Shah Rukh Khan," Govind Namdev said. The veteran actor recalled that Shah Rukh would finish the shoot, have dinner with the cast and then excuse himself for the next day's work, which would get over late at night.
"We worked throughout the day, then at night he mingled with the whole crew, we ate together and then, because he was also the producer, he worked till 2 AM. The next day, he had to take an early morning flight to Chennai to attend a function, then come back and resume shooting! He would've slept for not more than three and a half or four hours maximum. Kaam mein dhuni hai woh. He will smoke like a chimney and keep working, keep thinking about what to do next. Superstars usually have this attitude, these tantrums, but not him," the 69-year-old actor said.
Govind Namdev was also asked about his experience of working with superstar Salman Khan, with whom he teamed up for the Boney Kapoor-backed actioner Wanted. The actor said that as far as on-set interactions go, Salman was the opposite of Shah Rukh.
"He doesn't interact much, sirf kaam se kaam. There was no personal talk at all. Just sometimes how unke father kaise hote the, kuch bhi tedha kiya toh padti thi humko' (Salman would share how if the kids did anything naughty, they would get a beating by their father Salim). That's it. He is the opposite of Shah Rukh Khan as far as interacting with others is concerned," he added.
On the work front, Govind Namdev was last seen on the big screen in Vicky Kaushal-starrer Sam Bahadur, in which he played the role of Vallabhbhai Patel.
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