Veteran Bollywood actor Govinda has opened up about the long-running legal battle stemming from an altercation on the set of his 2008 film Money Hai Toh Honey Hai. The actor, who was accused of slapping a fan, described the case as “lucky” for him and claimed he managed to get it dismissed after conducting a sting operation on his accuser.
The 9-year legal battle
The incident dates back to 2008 when a man named Santosh was allegedly slapped by Govinda while visiting the film’s set. Santosh later filed a case against the actor, demanding financial compensation for the assault. The legal dispute stretched over nine years before it was resolved in 2017.
Speaking about the case in an interview with Mukesh Khanna on his YouTube channel, Govinda shared his perspective:
“The case turned out to be lucky for me. Someone was misbehaving, and I slapped him. The matter dragged on for years until a friend suggested I conduct a sting operation. I secretly recorded the accuser asking for Rs30-40 million to withdraw the case and submitted that evidence to the court.”
Govinda also claimed that his decision to intervene was based on reports that Santosh had misbehaved with female crew members. However, he expressed disappointment that those he had supported in the past did not stand by him.
The matter was eventually settled in 2017 when the Supreme Court advised Govinda to issue an apology. Santosh later withdrew his demand for compensation.
Govinda’s career in recent years
Once a reigning star in the 90s, Govinda saw a resurgence in the mid-2000s before his on-screen presence became sporadic. His last major roles were in FryDay (2018) and Rangeela Raja (2019).
In addition to addressing the slapping case, the actor also made headlines for claiming he had turned down an offer to star in James Cameron’s Avatar for a whopping sum.
