Overshadowed by Govinda during Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Amitabh Bachchan said, ‘Maidaan khol do, dono dekhte hain kya hoga’

Film producer Vashu Bhagnani, who is gearing up for the release of his big-budget action-comedy Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, reflected on working with Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda on the original Bade Miyan Chote Miyan film, which was directed by David Dhawan and released in 1998. The new film, helmed by Ali Abbas Zafar, has no connection to the original beyond the title. It stars Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff in the lead roles.

In an interview with Connect FM Canada, the producer was asked if the rumours about Govinda overshadowing Amitabh during the production of the original Bade Miyan Chote Miyan were true. Vashu Bhagnani appeared to agree with this sentiment, as he recalled what Amitabh once told him privately. At the time, Govinda was the biggest movie star in Bollywood, while Bachchan was caught in a transition phase, having aged out of his Angry Young Man roles.

"Some people believe that Govinda was the showrunner on BMCM 1, he overshadowed everyone," the interviewer said, and Vashu Bhagnani replied in Hindi, "Yes, that's correct. The whole world used to say this, and if the whole world felt this way, who am I to say otherwise? But the fact is that if Amit ji wasn't in the film, Govinda wouldn't have had the opportunity to shine like he did. It was because of Amit ji that Govinda garnered more appreciation."

He continued, "I shouldn't say this openly, but one day, Amit ji said, 'Yaar maidaan agar khol do hum dono dekhte hain kya hoga (Level the playing field, and  then we'll see what happens).' But Amit ji has a different sophistication, and Govinda had his own style. Together, the pair was too good. They could just stand silently and the job would be done."

Released in 1998, the original Bade Miyan Chote Miyan emerged as a major commercial success, grossing over Rs 35 crore worldwide. The new film has reportedly been produced for over 10 times as much, and will be released to coincide with Eid on April 10. The film also stars Alaya F, Manushi Chhillar, Ronit Roy, and Prithviraj Sukumaran as the villain.