Kader Khan's birth anniversary: Revisiting actor's immortal collaborations with Govinda
Legendary artists like Kader Khan are born once in a millennium. Khan, born in Afghanistan but later migrated to India, was a towering figure of Hindi cinema and one of its biggest contributors, both as a writer and an actor. One of his strongest, most endearing partnerships was with Govinda. On Khan's birth anniversary, let us walk down the memory lane of their films.
'Coolie No. 1' (1995)
The cult-classic Coolie No. 1 works exceedingly well each time, no matter how many times you have rewatched it. Govinda plays the titular character, and Khan plays his father-in-law in this David Dhawan directorial that deals with the case of confusion about identities post a sham marriage. When Govinda's comic timing rubbed against Khan's wit and screen presence, a cinematic Bollywood gem was born.
'Saajan Chale Sasural' (1996)
In Dhawan's Saajan Chale Sasural, Govinda did what he does best onscreen: play dual personalities! Here, too, Khan essayed his employer and subsequent father-in-law after the presumed death of Shyamsundar's (Govinda) first wife. Not only did the screen come alive with their flamboyance, but Khan's witty punchlines (he also wrote the movie's dialogues) also helped the film become the classic it is today.
'Raja Babu' (1994)
Perhaps Raja Babu's most effortlessly memorable scene is the one where we see Raja's (Govinda) different "professions"—he's a lawyer, police officer, and doctor! This tomfoolery, however, becomes his undoing and initially impedes his marriage to Madhu (Karisma Kapoor). Khan played his sensible and responsible father, who desperately wanted his son to stop his life from derailing it completely. Rewatch it on Amazon Prime Video.
'Haseena Maan Jaayegi' (1999)
Haseena Maan Jaayegi, led by Govinda and Sanjay Dutt, is a true blue Bollywood entertainer that is marked completely safe from aging badly! Khan played a rich man, Amirchand, who endeavors to bring his mischievous, spoilt sons back on track. While Khan only had a supporting role, his scenes with Govinda are yet another testament to the dynamics they shared on and off screen.
'Dulhe Raja' (1998)
This list would be incomplete sans the iconic Dulhe Raja, which depicted the rivalry between KK Singhania (Khan), owner of a hotel, and his fierce opponent Raja (Govinda), owner of a profitable dhaba. Their tireless efforts to pull each other down form the most enjoyable part of this comedy, especially when they perform the song Kahan Raja Bhoj. There was nothing Khan couldn't do!
