'Your hair is thinning': Govinda recalls telling Salman Khan to 'get surgery and change his look' before ‘Partner’

In the 1990s, Govinda was one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, known for his hit films and lively performances. But as the decade ended, his fame began to fade. By the mid-2000s, he was trying to build a new image for himself to keep up with the changing times. Govinda also took a short break from movies for about three years when he joined politics. When he returned, he wanted to win back the same love from the audience, but things were not the same anymore. Then came along ‘Partner’, his film with Salman Khan and director David Dhawan, which brought him right back into the spotlight. Many people believed Salman helped him make a comeback, but Govinda later said that wasn’t true.

Govinda reveals the idea behind Salman Khan’s transformation in ‘Partner’

Talking to Siddharth Kannan in a recent interview, Govinda revealed an interesting detail about ‘Partner’. The actor said that it was actually his idea for Salman Khan to go through a major physical transformation for the film, which Sohail Khan, Salman’s brother, produced. Govinda mentioned that he met David Dhawan and Sohail to discuss the casting and suggested that Salman should be the hero for Sohail’s production. Recalling the meeting, Govinda said, “We will change his personality, total… Ek new Salman. Jo pehle dekha tha voh alag tha, jo ab dekh rahe hain yeh alag hai. (The one that we saw before, and the one we will be seeing now, is completely different.) So we tried it. We could do it.”

Govinda talks about working with Salman Khan in ‘Partner’

Although Salman and Govinda had both starred in several of David’s films over the years, ‘Partner’ was the first project that actually brought them together on-screen. Reflecting on their experience, Govinda spoke warmly about Salman and said, “He is such a sincere guy. He asked me what he should do. I told Salman you have to do this and this. Thoda sa chehra utar gaya hai, thoda sa body tayyar kar lijiye, aapke baal thoda sa aisa lag raha hai ki mujhe, thoda kam ho gaye hain toh you have to go and do something (Your face has lost its shine, your body needs to be ready, your hair are thinning out so you should do something). I don’t drink much but I had a drink or so and I said it.” Govinda revealed that this conversation influenced Salman to make major changes. “He went and got operated, started exercising. Look at Salman after 'Partner', he wasn’t the same as before,” he said.

Salman Khan on working with Govinda for the first time

Back when ‘Partner’ was released, an interview of Salman on Lehren Retro captured his thoughts about working with Govinda. Reflecting on how the collaboration came to be, Salman shared that the film happened “out of our love for each other.” He further confessed, “Earlier I felt scared to work with Govinda. Think of it, how much comedy can a person do in a film? So for the first 17 years of my life, I was very scared to share screen space with Govinda.”

Pahlaj Nihalani on Govinda’s difficult phase after ‘Partner’

Producer Pahlaj Nihalani, who has collaborated with Govinda on several films in the past, once spoke about how the actor was unable to benefit from the success of ‘Partner’. In a conversation with Pinkvilla, Nihalani remarked, “After Partner, everything went against him. He didn’t get any films after that. Many of his big films got shut down, including one with Priyanka Chopra. If someone stabs you in the back, there’s not even a single mark left behind. You don’t even get to know. So, he has been stabbed in the back many times.”

About ‘Partner’

Helmed by David Dhawan, ‘Partner’ was inspired by the Hollywood film Hitch and also featured Lara Dutta and Katrina Kaif in key roles.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”