Govinda's father was Arun Kumar Ahuja and his mother Nirmala Devi was a singer. His brother Kirti Kumar is a producer, director and actor. He studied at the Annasaheb Vartak College in Vasai, Mumbai. Govinda married Sunita in March, 1987 and they have two children. Starting with his debut in 1985, Govinda has acted in over 120 Hindi films. In 2004, he joined politics, winning a parliamentary seat from Mumbai.Govinda's first hit film was Ilzaam, which launched his career. He acted in a string of movies after that with mixed success.Govinda was often paired opposite Neelam and together they appeared in hit films such as Love 86 (1986), Khudgarz (1987). They also worked together in his brother Kirti Kumar film Hatya (1988).Govinda worked with David Dhawan for the first time in the 1989 film Taaqatwar, which was an action film.Govinda then did several other films with David Dhawan most notably Shola Aur Shabnam (1992) and Aankhen (1993) that were not only successful but also pulled Govinda towards comic roles.He went on to star in many successful comedy films in the '90s, which were directed by David Dhawan and where he was frequently paired with actresses such as Karisma Kapoor and Raveena Tandon.Raja Babu (1994), Coolie No. 1 (1995), Saajan Chale Sasural (1996), Hero No. 1 (1997), Deewana Mastana (1997), Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998), Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999) and Jodi No. 1 (2000) were some of the hit movies by the Govinda and David Dhawan duo.Govinda played a negative role for the first time in Shikari which was released in 2000. Although the movie was not a commercial success, his convincing portrayal of a villain was critically acclaimed.He decided to move to politics in 2003 and did not have any new film releases although some of his delayed films released in 2005, which were Khullam Khulla Pyaar Karen and Ssukh. He was voted No. 10 in a BBC News Online Survey to find out the Top 10 Greatest Stars of Stage and Screen over the last 1,000 years.
