Neelam Kothari Says She Never Dated Govinda: 'They Just Printed Whatever They Felt Like, We Were Scared Of The Press'

Neelam dismissed the claims of being in a relationship with Govinda in the 90s, clarifying that there was never any romantic involvement between her and the Coolie No. 1 actor. 

Neelam Kothari, a beloved star of the 1980s and 1990s, was no stranger to swirling rumours, as it is common in the film industry. Among the most persistent of these were speculations about her relationship with frequent co-star Govinda. In a recent interview, Neelam finally dismissed these claims, clarifying that there was never any romantic involvement between her and the Coolie No. 1 actor. 

Neelam says she was never in a relationship with Govinda

Speaking with Hauterfly, Neelam candidly explained how link-up rumours were an inevitable part of the industry back then. “I think link-ups were part of the whole game. There was no one to clarify. They just printed whatever they felt like and, to be honest, I feel like in those days we were scared of the press. Because it was the power of the pen and it was just part of it. If you did more than 2-3 films, it was just understood that… (you were dating),” she shared. 

What Govinda had said about Neelam

Govinda, however, had openly expressed his feelings for Neelam in a 1990 interview with Stardust. The actor revealed that he was deeply in love with her during their time together on-screen and admitted it even affected his relationship with Sunita, who is now his wife. 

“I couldn’t stop praising her. To my friends, to my family. Even to Sunita, to whom I was committed. I would tell Sunita to change herself and become like Neelam. I would tell her to learn from her. I was merciless,” Govinda confessed in the interview. 

At one point, Govinda even considered breaking off his engagement with Sunita. He recalled, “I asked Sunita to leave me. I broke off my engagement with her. And had Sunita not called me after five days and coaxed me into it again, I would probably have married Neelam.” Govinda married Sunita shortly after. 

Neelam on her husband Samir Soni

Neelam is married to actor Samir Soni, and the couple shares a strong and supportive bond. In the same interview, Neelam praised Samir’s calm and practical nature. “Samir is a very matured, grounded, practical person. He is someone who has a solution for everything. If I have a serious problem, Samir is my go-to person because his way of thinking is very sound and he is practical,” she said. 

Neelam was earlier married to Rishi Sethia, a UK-based businessman.