When Govinda cried with his mother over unpaid grocery bills, I refused to go to the shop anymore

Long before he became Bollywood’s beloved Hero No. 1, Govinda lived through heartbreaking struggles that continue to inspire his fans.
“I Refused to Go to the Shop Anymore.”
In a throwback interview from 1997 with India Today, the superstar opened up about a particularly painful memory—when he and his family couldn’t afford groceries, and humiliation at the hands of a local shopkeeper bought both him and his mother to tears.
Govinda recalled being made to wait for hours by the local grocer, who knew they couldn’t pay. “The baniya used to make me stand for hours because he knew I wouldn’t pay for the goods,” Govinda shared. Eventually, the shame became too much for the young actor. “Once I refused to go to the shop anymore. My mother started crying, and I cried with her,” he recounted.
From pain to success
Despite facing early financial ruin due to his father Arun Ahuja failed film career, Govinda never gave up on his dream. He debuted in 'Love 86' (1986) and quickly rose to stardom with back-to-back hits like Ilzaam, Raja Babu, and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. But the trauma of his early life stayed with him, driving him to dream even bigger. “People laugh. They say, ‘He can’t even speak English properly; what, he’ll win an Oscar?’ But if from nothing I could become Govinda, surely from Govinda I can become something,” he had said.
Govinda’s personal front
Through all the highs and lows, one constant in Govinda’s life has been his wife, Sunita Ahuja, whom he married in 1987. Together, they’ve built a close-knit family with their children, Tina and Yashvardan, proving that behind the screen legend is a man of great strength, humility, and love.