Govinda denies threatening brother-in-law

Sep 2, 2011 IANS

Mumbai, Sep 2 (IANS) Bollywood actor and former Congress MP Govinda has denied allegations that he had slapped and threatened his brother-in-law Praveen Khanna over a financial disagreement.

It was reported that Govinda had hurled abuses at Khanna during a meeting of the Indian Motion Pictures' Producers Association (IMPPA), but the actor says the news is baseless.

?For many years you can see that, from the time I joined politics, I have been a victim of conspiracies. I don't know why, but some people have been doing it. I don't know why my brother-in-law accused me," said the 47-year-old actor in a statement.

"I have given the answer in written and when he felt there was no substance in his allegations, then he unsuccessfully tried to defame me and even tried to lodge a case against me."

The tiff between the two started way back in 1996, when Khanna launched a film called ?Dil Laga Ke Dekho? with Govinda in the lead role. And then over some financial disagreement, the ?Deewana Mastana? actor refused to complete the shoot and ultimately the film was shelved in 2003.

Later, in 2009, Khanna filed a complaint against the actor with IMPAA, but he did not show up for any hearings until last week, when the alleged incident took place.

Govinda is known for hits like "Hero No. 1", "Jodi No. 1"

After having a successful stint in showbiz, Govinda joined the Congress Party in 2004. His political career was not so successful, so he returned to Bollywood with "Partner" in 2007.