Govinda, also known as Bollywood’s ‘Hero No. 1,’ has had a prolific career filled with iconic roles. However, the actor has also turned down several major projects that went on to become legendary in Indian cinema. James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ broke multiple box office records and introduced audiences to the breathtaking world of Pandora. According to Govinda, he was offered the lead role but turned it down due to concerns about the physical demands of the character.
In a recent interaction with Mukesh Khanna on his YouTube channel Bheeshm International, he revealed, “James told me the hero in the film was handicapped, so I said I am not doing the film. He offered me Rs 18 crore for it and said I would be required to shoot for 410 days. I said that is okay, but if I paint my body, I will be in the hospital.” While his rejection of James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ made headlines, here are five other films Govinda declined:

‘Devdas’ (2002) & ‘Taal’ (1999)

Sanjay Leela Bhansali offered Govinda the role of Chunnilal in ‘Devdas,’ a character eventually played by Jackie Shroff. Apart from this, Subhash Ghai’s musical drama ‘Taal,’ which featured Anil Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai in pivotal roles, was also offered to Govinda to play the part of Manav, but he chose to decline it due to concerns about his stardom and suitability for the character.
In an interview with Film Companion, Govinda explained his refusal by saying, “When I had turned down Devdas, I also refused Taal at the same time. Both the characters went on to become iconic hits, but I was on top of my game at that point, and I didn’t know if people would accept me in a character role or not!”

‘Mahabharat’ (1988)
Govinda was offered the role of Abhimanyu in BR Chopra’s epic TV series ‘Mahabharat.’ However, he rejected it under his mother’s advice. In an interview with Mukesh Khanna, the ‘Raja Babu’ actor shared that his mother, who was deeply spiritual and influential in his decisions, did not approve of him taking the role. “My mom has said no to doing this role. I won’t do it,” he told Chopra. His refusal reportedly angered BR Chopra, who threw him out of his office.
‘Gadar: Ek Prem Katha’ (2001)
Govinda was considered for the role of Tara Singh in ‘Gadar,’ which later became one of Sunny Deol’s most iconic performances. The actor reportedly declined the offer due to discomfort with the abusive language used in the script. He had told India TV, “When Anil Sharma sir was reading the film to me, it had a lot of swear words. I said, Mein kisi aadmi se pang nahi leta. Tum ye kya kya kahte ho film mein?
‘Chandni’ (1989)
As per MensXp, Yash Chopra approached Govinda for Rishi Kapoor’s role in the classic romance ‘Chandni.’ The actor turned it down because he did not want to play a wheelchair-bound character at one point in the film. This decision allowed Rishi Kapoor to deliver one of his most memorable performances.