Govind Arun Ahuja popularly known as Govinda is one of those rare actors who have essayed different kinds of roles with panache. Politician turned actor Govinda is presently serving as the 5th Member of Parliament for the Mumbai North Constituency of Maharashtra.

So far he has appeared in over 120 Bollywood films. As a starter his acting as well as dancing skills gained him popularity among film viewers. He later gained a greater acceptance as a Bollywood icon through comedy films such as Aankhen, Coolie No.1, Haseena Maan Jaayegi and Partner.

Govinda is married to Sunita Ahuja. He is nicknamed and referred to as ‘Chi Chi’ (Punjabi Little Finger) by close friends and the family. He is a member of the Congress party and was elected in June 2004 in the 14 th Lok Sabha elections defeating Ram Naik of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Adding to the accolades this talented actor is a fact that BBC News online users voted Govinda as the 10th greatest star of screen of the last thousand years.

Govinda’s mother Nirmala Devi, who hailed from Banaras, was a classical vocalist and actress. His father, Arun Kumar Ahuja, an actor in the 1940s, was a Sindhi settled in Maharashtra. Arun and Nirmala are first said to have met at the sets of the film Savera, in which both were cast opposite each other. Later, they married in 1941. A commerce graduate Govinda studied at Annasaheb Vartak College in Vasai, Maharashtra.