Govinda, whose private life made a few headlines in the last few days, made a shocking revelation that James Cameron offered him the lead role in his film Avatar. Govinda was also offered Rs 18 crore for the film but he turned down the offer as the character was “lame.”

Govinda made the revelation on the YouTube channel of Mukesh Khanna. Govinda recalled how a chance meeting with a Sardarji led him to meet James Cameron in America.

“I even left an offer of ₹21.5 crore, although I remember this because it was painful. I had met a Sardarji in America and gave him a business idea to work in sweets and delicacies. Some years later, he said that the idea worked wonders for him. There, he made me meet James Cameron. He asked me to do a film with James, so I invited them for dinner to discuss about it.”

Govinda also shared details of his meet-up with James Cameron. Even when he was offered a whopping amount of money, Govinda didn’t want to play a lame character. 

He added, “Picture ka title bhi maine hi diya tha. Maine Rajesh Khanna ji ko dekha tha left hand kata hua… maine kaha, ‘Yaar accha aadmi he pata nahi kyu ajeeb sa role kar liya!’ Toh maine kaha, ‘Second time banegi Avatar!’ Toh mujhe kehta hai, ‘The hero is lame!’ (I had only given the title. I had seen Rajesh Khanna and wondered why he did that part. I only predicted the sequel). Maine kaha, ‘Lame? Govinda! Hello? I am not doing your picture!’ He said, ‘I am offering you 18 crores.’ I said, ‘I don’t want your 18 crores.’ He said the shoot will be for 410 days. I said that is okay, but if I paint my body, I will be in the hospital!”

Avatar was released in 2009 featuring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana in lead roles. The second installment, The Way of Water, was released on December 16, 2022. 

The third instalment is expected to hit theatres in 2025, with Avatar 4 set for 2029 and Avatar 5 in 2031.