Govinda Won't Promote Jagga Jasoos, Says 'Nobody Allowed to Defame me'

New Delhi: Whispers within Bollywood suggest that there's trouble with the casting of actor Govinda in Ranbir Kapoor's Jagga Jasoos. Govinda, for his part, says he's shot his scenes but won't promote the film.

The 51-year-old actor told Mumbai Mirror, "I've finished my work but I won't be a part of the promotions. I'm upset with the makers for not clarifying things on my behalf. I can understand them not wanting to get dragged into a silly controversy but not reacting was not a solution. Nobody is allowed to make money by defaming me. I may forgive but I'll never forget."

Jagga Jasoos, helmed by Ranbir's Barfi! director Anurag Basu, also stars Katrina Kaif and is expected to release in July next year.

Mumbai Mirror also reports on strained relations with directors Karan Johar and David Dhawan.

Govinda, who starred in last year's Kill Dil and Happy Ending, said that he rejected an offer from Karan Johar two years ago after learning that the filmmaker had asked about whether he reported to work on time. "I have worked with producers like Saif Ali Khan and Salman Khan and there have never been any complaints about my late-comings," Govinda told Mumbai Mirror.

There's also little chance of a film with David Dhawan, who directed him in hit '90s films like Hero No 1 and Deewana Mastana. "After working together in 17 films, we haven't met once in the last five years. When two people don't meet for so long, how will they work together?" Govinda is quoted as saying. However, Mr Dhawan's sons Varun and Rohit are apparently like family.

There have also been rumours of bad blood between Govinda and his Partner co-star Salman Khan who provided actor Shatrughan Sinha's daughter Sonakshi with a launch pad in Dabangg. Govinda's daughter Tina debuts next month opposite Punjabi actor-singer Gippy Grewal in Second Hand Husband and has said that her father never asked Salman to help out. "It was said that my dad asked him (Salman) to launch me. But it is not true. That was just a rumour. I was never going to be launched by him. It was all created by media," she told news agency PTI.

Neither Kill Dil nor Happy Ending fared well at the box office. Govinda was among the biggest stars in the '90s and his career was briefly resurrected by the superhit Partner in 2007.