Actor Rajat Bedi has opened up about a long-forgotten incident from the sets of David Dhawan’s 2001 comedy Jodi No. 1, revealing that Govinda’s chronic lateness once kept Sanjay Dutt waiting for nearly nine hours. The delay became so frustrating that Dutt reportedly “started abusing,” forcing the director to alter the shooting schedule.
Bedi, who starred in the film alongside the two Bollywood heavyweights, shared the story during an interview with Siddharth Kannan on his YouTube channel. The actor, who is set to make a comeback with Aryan Khan’s upcoming series The Bads of Bollywood***, reflected on Govinda’s work habits and the chaos it often caused on film sets.
Rajat described Govinda as “a great human being” but admitted that the star’s habit of showing up extremely late was a recurring issue during his peak years.
“He had taken on too much work,” Rajat said. “During Jodi No. 1, the shoot was scheduled to begin at 7 am. Sanjay Dutt and I were on set by 6 am, but the rest of the crew hadn’t even arrived. We were all waiting for Govinda to show up.”
When the actor failed to appear on time, the team sent a production assistant to his house.
“Someone from the set was sent to Govinda’s home and literally sat outside, waiting to bring him to the shoot,” Rajat recalled. “By the time it was 2 pm, Sanjay was freaking out.”
The delay, according to Bedi, left Sanjay Dutt visibly irritated.
“He started abusing and yelling, saying, ‘What the hell is going on?’” Rajat said, imitating Dutt’s frustration. “He just couldn’t believe they were still waiting after so many hours.”
The chaos eventually forced director David Dhawan to change the day’s plan entirely.
“David finally said, ‘Forget it, we’ll shoot something else,’” Rajat revealed. “That’s how they managed the day. This was a common problem with Govinda back then.”
Despite the frequent delays, Bedi emphasized that Govinda was not arrogant or difficult — just overcommitted and overworked during his peak career years.
“He was doing so many films at the same time — sometimes three or four shoots in a day,” Bedi explained. “He wasn’t doing it out of ego. He genuinely had too much on his plate.”
Jodi No. 1, released in 2001, was a hit comedy directed by David Dhawan, starring Sanjay Dutt, Govinda, Twinkle Khanna, Monica Bedi, and Anupam Kher. The film was known for its humor and chemistry between its two lead stars, despite the reported off-screen chaos.
Govinda, who once dominated Bollywood’s comedy genre in the 1990s, has since been open about his professional struggles and reputation for tardiness. Several of his co-stars and filmmakers have previously spoken about similar delays during shoots.
For Rajat Bedi, the memory remains both amusing and frustrating — a glimpse into the unpredictable world of Bollywood’s golden era.
“Govinda was magic on screen,” Rajat concluded, “but off screen, his timing could make even Sanjay Dutt lose his cool.”
