‘Aankhen’ Co-Stars ‘Govinda And Chunky Panday Remember Pahlaj Nihalani: ‘He Was A Father Figure’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Veteran producer and former CBFC chairperson Pahlaj Nihalani passed away on June 4 at the age of 76 following a prolonged illness. A prominent figure in Hindi cinema for over four decades, he was known for producing commercial hits such as “Ilzaam” (1986), “Shola Aur Shabnam” (1992) and “Aankhen” (1993) while also launching the careers of Govinda and Chunky Panday. The two actors went down memory lane, remembering the filmmaker.

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Chunky Panday, actor

“I met him for the first time in the toilet of the Holiday Inn Hotel at Juhu. I introduced myself and told him that I was trying to get into movies. And that’s how, that night, my career began because he told me, ‘Meet me tomorrow. I’m going to launch you in a movie.’ I owe my career to Pahlaj and to Govinda because Govinda was busy then. He made Aankhen, and it made David, Govinda, Anees (Bazmee) and me. And it made Pahlaj the number one producer. He had decided that he wanted to make and release the film within six months. Everything else about the film kept changing, but the four of us - Govinda, me, David and Anees - stayed constant. He just wanted to release the film on one particular day, and he did it. I would call him a maker because he participated and paid attention to every little detail. He started his career as a distributor and then moved into production. So, he kind of covered the whole spectrum. I learned a lot from him. We would talk at least once a month. The last time I met him was a week ago in the hospital. I sat beside him and we joked and laughed. I told him, ‘See, today my kids are also in the movies. And you’re the one who started it all.’

Govinda, actor

We have worked together a lot, right from Shola Aur Shabnam to Rangeela Raja. He was a father figure and would behave as such. I am not able to process the news of his passing. My brother, Kirti, rightly says that he is like our foundation stone. We started our careers with him. He has made a large contribution to filmmaking. No one before him or after him will have that kind of impact Chahe log kitna bhi mere khilaf ho jaye, Pahlaji ke muh se tarif hi nikalti thi. It’s a big loss not just for me but for the whole industry.