Satyajeet Puri says Divya Bharti’s ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’ revived Govinda, David Dhawan after back to back flops

Mumbai, July 25 (IANS) Veteran actor Satyajeet Puri shared an interesting piece of Bollywood trivia, recalling how the 1992 blockbuster ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’ helped revive the careers of actor Govinda and filmmaker David Dhawan.

In a video shared on social media, Puri revealed how after both the stalwarts had delivered a series of box-office failures, the movie went on to become a blockbuster, helping them regain their position in Bollywood.

Satyajeet also paid tribute to late producer Prahlad Nihalani, describing him as a fearless and innovative filmmaker who believed in backing his convictions.

Speaking in the video, Puri shared a lesser-known fact about the film, and revealed that before ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’ went on floors, both Govinda and director David Dhawan were struggling professionally.

“Before ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’ was made, Prahlad ji had delivered a string of flops. Even David Dhawan, before ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’, had made six, seven, I think even eight flop films. Govinda was also in the same situation. He too had delivered seven or eight flops, and his career was going downhill,” the actor said.

He further went on to remember Nihalani’s successful productions, saying, “He gave very big hits like ‘Ilzaam’, ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’ and ‘Aankhen’. ‘Aankhen’ was one of the biggest hits of its time.”

Puri said, “The story I am going to tell you today is of my very famous and hit film ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’. Unfortunately, last month, its producer Mr Prahlad Nihalani passed away. I would say Mr Prahlad Nihalani was a very daring and innovative producer. He was not scared of anyone. Whatever he believed in, he made.”

Released in 1992, ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’ starred Govinda and the late Divya Bharti in the lead roles. It also starred Gulshan Grover, Mohnish Bahl, Alok Nath and Shakti Kapoor in pivotal parts. Directed by David Dhawan and produced by Prahlad Nihalani, the romantic action-comedy emerged as one of the biggest commercial successes of the year.

Talking about Satyajeet Puri, the actor began his acting career as a child artist and became a familiar face in Hindi cinema during the 1970s and 1980s. He is best remembered for films such as ‘Aradhana’, ‘Amar Prem’, ‘Anuraag’, ‘Aankh Micholi’, ‘Dil Aur Deewaar’ and ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’.

–IANS

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