Govind Namdev hits back at Shivangi Verma's ‘buzurg sathiya jaate hain' remark for him: A person behaves according to...

Veteran actor Govind Namdev recently found himself at the centre of controversy after rumours surfaced online linking him romantically with 31-year-old actor Shivangi Verma. The speculation began when Shivangi shared a behind-the-scenes photo with Govind from their film Gaurishankar Goharganj Wale on Instagram, captioned, 'Pyaar (Love) knows no age, no limits.' (Also Read: Govind Namdev revisits time when no one offered work after Shola Aur Shabnam: Isse, usse udhaar liya)
In an exclusive conversation with Hindustan Times, Govind Namdev opened up about how the post affected his public image and caused distress in his personal life, especially after rumours of trouble in his marriage began circulating. He also responded to Shivangi's recent comments following his clarification on the dating rumours and revealed whether he is considering legal action against her.
Govind Namdev revealed that the post was actually not a promotional strategy and added, "It was just a general discussion between us that such a romantic pairing hasn't happened in my career before. So, if photos like this come out, it could create a good buzz for the film. For that reason, we discussed that there should be photographs from the film that show romantic chemistry. That was the extent of our conversation. The problem began when Shivangi posted a photo of us on her Instagram with the caption, 'Love knows no age and limit.' But there was no mention of the film's name, the character's name, or any indication that this was part of the film's storyline. The plot of the film is actually about a heroine who falls in love with a 70-year-old man named Gauri Shankar."
He continued, "Since that context wasn't given, it felt very strange — like, what is this? People might misunderstand and think that something is actually going on between me and her. Later, Shivangi neither clarified nor did she mention anything more about the film in her posts. After that, one or two more photos surfaced, where it was directly written that '31-year-old Shivangi Verma has fallen in love with 70-year-old Govind Namdev'. For me, this was extremely shocking. Itne saalon se jo maine aapna naam banaya tha, achanak uska kachra hogaya, mujhe aisa mehsoos hua (I felt like all the respect and reputation I had built over the years suddenly turned into garbage)."
The veteran actor recalled that after the first post surfaced, he responded in a light-hearted manner, clarifying that the romance was part of reel life, not real life. However, as more such pictures emerged, accompanied by growing speculation and gossip, he began to see the situation as deeply problematic. It reached a point where he felt compelled to speak out, not for publicity, but simply to protect his dignity. He expressed his confusion and disappointment over Shivangi's actions, questioning how someone could compromise another person's character and reputation for personal gain.
He further revealed that he never got in touch with Shivangi about the incident but did have a conversation with the film's director about this. "I remove such people from my life. If I feel someone is harmful, I cut ties with them. I never spoke to her again. After the film was completed, I never had any interaction with her. However, I did speak to the director about the situation and asked what was going on. The director also agreed that it had gone too far and said that my name was being dragged in the wrong way all over. Even the director felt that the only way to make things right was if Shivangi apologised to me," he said.
Recently, when in an interview with ETimes, Govind Namdev accused Shivangi of sharing their photo without informing him leading to dating rumours and his image being damaged, Shivangi hit back at him and shared on Instagram, 'Sahi kaha hai kisi ne, buzurg badhti umar mein sathiya jaate hain (Someone rightly said, "Old people tend to lose their minds with age). G*****N*****.'
Reacting to Shivangi's comments for him, Govind said, 'Aadmi ki jiss tarah ki parvarish hoti hai, jiss tarah ke sanskar hote hain voh ussi soch ka aadmi hota hai aur voh ussi hisaab se aapni life ko dekhta hai aur logon ke saath interact ya behave karta hai (A person behaves according to their upbringing and the values they are raised with). Their mindset is shaped by these factors, and it reflects in how they view life and interact with others. This entire situation is a reflection of that. Instead of apologising, the way she is handling things depends on her own judgment. I don't pay much attention to such matters.'
He added, 'I believe that people with such personalities tend to behave this way. I just wanted to say what I felt, and I've said it. If I start worrying about what she or people like her are saying, then how will I continue my work? Especially when I know I'm being truthful. I don't feel the need to give endless clarifications. Anyway, she is more of an influencer than an actor, so for her, this is just a routine thing, posting such content, making comments, and increasing followers and engagement.'
Govind revealed that he won't be able to forgive Shivangi because he has erased her from my life. "I never had any personal relationship with her. During the shoot, we worked together for about 20 days, but not once did we speak on the phone. We never met outside of the shoot location, nor did we ever speak beyond what was necessary for work. That should give you an idea of the kind of equation we had. Forgiveness is given to those you are emotionally connected with — and I no longer have any such connection with her. Moreover, I don't keep people around me who don't align with my nature. If she wants to apologise, it should be for the damage done to my public image. That alone will resolve everything," actor added.
He further said that he had thought of taking the legal route, but it depends on Shivangi's reaction. The actor added that if Shivangi further reacts very negatively, then he'll think about taking the legal route.
Govind recalled how suddenly, everyone started questioning what was going on in his family and added, "It's like a trend — no matter how much you trust your loved ones, such things are very common in the film industry. So naturally, my family began to wonder if something had actually happened. They may have thought so and I could sense that. They didn't react openly, but I could see the questions in their minds. That really disturbed both my family and me. The reason it affected us so much is that such situations are unusual in the film world, and I try my best to stay away from such controversies. My children and wife do trust me, but even then, there was a question mark. When news started circulating that 31-year-old Shivangi Verma and 70-year-old Govind Namdev had fallen in love, and that this had created problems in his family, with rumours that his wife was considering divorce, it shook me deeply."
The actor further slammed new actors for their promotional strategies to stay in the limelight and recalled how in the 90s, success used to rely only on an actor's talent. "Nowadays, actors do every possible to get into the limelight. Whether they are right or wrong in doing so, or hurting other people in the process, they still try their best to gain the limelight. This kind of publicity, people often create things just to come into the limelight. Earlier, success was directly connected to talent. It was your talent that took you forward and earned you respect and recognition. Everything was tied to your skills and persona. But now, the attitude has completely changed. The earlier times were different; people were more connected to each other, and they empathised with one another's struggles. But now, that environment no longer exists," he added.

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