Overview

• In new interviews published Tuesday, Nihalani says Madhuri Dixit refused to star opposite a then-newcomer Govinda early in his career.
• He alleges Madhuri’s manager Rikku Rakesh Nath, along with a group of producers, discouraged projects pairing her with Govinda and hindered related films.
• Nihalani says he replaced Madhuri with Neelam Kothari in Ilzaam, which he credits as a box-office hit that made Neelam an overnight star.
• He recalls that his films with Neelam ran as golden jubilees while Madhuri’s projects were shutting down or flopping during that period.
• According to Nihalani, he later conducted a mahurat that led to Tezaab, widely seen as Madhuri’s career turning point, and he notes she and Govinda subsequently worked together in several films.