Neelam Kothari has clarified the long-standing gossip surrounding a romantic relationship with her former co-star, Govinda. The two made their debut together in 1986 and shared a fabulous on-screen chemistry and appeared in almost 14 films together during the late 80’s and 90’s.
Even though the speculations of a love affair between them were rife, Govinda was already married to Sunita Ahuja. Despite Neelam’s former co-star Govinda comment that he was smitten by Neelam, the actress has now cleared the gossip.
Speaking to Hauterfly, Neelam explained that the then-rampant link-up rumours were rarely cleared by them. She clarified that at the time, the media was very powerful, so any on-screen pairing was quickly turned into speculation that eventually became fact. She then added that they were actually afraid of the press, and in general, it had become an assumption that if two actors were working together in over two or three movies, they were dating.
Govinda himself had told during a 1990 Stardust interview that he was highly attracted to Neelam and even broke off his engagement with Sunita just to get married to her. He confessed, “I was very conscious of Neelam,” stating their bonding was getting stronger day-by-day as they worked together very frequently. He also confessed that he was ready to marry her but Neelam did not have any such interest as she was more keen on her profession. Govinda accepted that they were from two completely different walks of life, and Neelam had certain expectations for a friend that he could not fulfil.
Neelam has married well-divorced actor Samir Soni who she herself describes as “mature, grounded, and practical”. Now she has apparently moved on from all the rumours. With the start of Netflix reality series ‘Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives’ marks her recent comeback to the entertainment industry.
