Showman's shooting halts due to Govinda's illness

Last week, Govinda was missing from the shooting of Showman. But director Tigmanshu Dhulia stresses that the actor was genuinely unwell and not playing truant as usual. Govinda says, "I suffered a slipped disc on February 12. I had gone to attend a Sai Baba event in Virar and after I came back, I had a slight pain in my lower back but I ignored it.

By the next day, the pain had intensified and I couldn't get up from bed. I had to call my doctor and he said it could be a slipped disc. Since then, I have been on heavy medication and had to cancel my Showman shoot till Sunday."

Govinda has been practising yogasanas to get better. He adds, "Now I'm much better and resumed shooting from Monday. I will know whether I need to go in for a surgery only at the end of this week." Strangely, his director Tigmanshu Dhulia denies Govinda cancelled his shoot for more than a day. "It's not true that Govinda cancelled many days of shooting as he was unwell. We finished shooting five days back. Govinda didn't come only for a day."

Earlier too, for last year's London schedule Showman had allegedly run into problems because of Govinda's work schedule. Neil Nitin Mukesh had walked out of Showman days before the unit was to leave for its first outdoor shoot. Govinda stepped in but reportedly arrived in UK. A week later. Even after the schedule was postponed because of him, he left mid-way for another film shoot in Mumbai. The buzz was that he'd stormed out after a scrap with Tigmanshu over the script.