Archive · 28 Aug 2026
Rajeev Puri Questions Story of Amrish Puri Slapping Govinda
People have told a story for years that Amrish Puri slapped Govinda for arriving very late to a film set.
The story is often connected to the movie Do Qaidi.
Amrish Puri’s son, Rajeev Puri, said he does not believe it happened.
He said his father usually did not lose his temper or slap people.
Rajeev thought Govinda’s lateness might still have made future work together difficult.
Govinda has explained that he often worked on four or five film shifts in one day.
Because of that busy schedule, he said arriving everywhere on time was very hard.
The two actors worked together in Do Qaidi in 1989.
Amrish Puri died in 2005 at age 72.
A long-circulating Bollywood story claims Amrish Puri slapped Govinda after he arrived nine hours late for a shoot.
Rajeev Puri said he doubts the anecdote, insisting his father was not someone who would slap another person.
Rajeev suggested Govinda’s reported lateness may have influenced why the actors did not work together again.
Govinda said he sometimes handled four or five shifts daily, making punctuality difficult during his career peak.
Amrish Puri and Govinda worked together in the 1989 film Do Qaidi, reportedly their last collaboration.
- Who
- Amrish Puri, Govinda, and Amrish Puri’s son Rajeev Puri.
- What
- Rajeev Puri questioned the story that Amrish Puri slapped Govinda after a nine-hour delay at a shoot.
- When
- The alleged incident is associated with the making of Do Qaidi, released in 1989; Rajeev’s comments were made on Vickey Lalwani’s podcast.
- Where
- The alleged incident reportedly occurred on a film set; the specific location is not stated.
- Why
- Rajeev said the story does not match his father’s temperament, while suggesting Govinda’s reported lateness may have affected their future professional relationship.
Popular Anecdote
Rajeev Puri’s Response
Whether the slap happened
Popular Anecdote
The widely circulated account says Amrish Puri confronted and slapped Govinda in front of the crew after Govinda arrived about nine hours late.
Rajeev Puri’s Response
Rajeev Puri said he does not think the incident was true because his father was not prone to losing his temper or slapping people.
Why they may not have worked together again
Popular Anecdote
The folklore presents the alleged confrontation as a possible reason for the actors’ reported lack of later collaborations.
Rajeev Puri’s Response
Rajeev speculated that Govinda may have realised his late arrivals would not suit Amrish Puri, while saying he did not believe his father held a grudge.
Govinda’s punctuality
Popular Anecdote
The story portrays Govinda’s late arrival as disruptive to the scheduled shoot.
Rajeev Puri’s Response
Govinda said his four or five daily shifts made it difficult to reach every set on time and that producers had agreed to manage his schedule.
- Film linked to story
- Do Qaidi
- Film release
- 1989
- Reported delay
- Nine hours, from a 9 a.m. shoot to Govinda’s reported 6 p.m. arrival
- Rajeev Puri’s position
- He does not believe Amrish Puri would have slapped anyone.
- Govinda’s explanation
- He said he sometimes managed four or five shifts a day during the peak of his career.
- Reported future collaboration
- Do Qaidi is widely reported to have been Amrish Puri and Govinda’s last collaboration.
- Amrish Puri
- He died in 2005 at age 72.