Mumbai: A viral video featuring Bollywood veteran Govinda as a Na’vi character in James Cameron’s latest blockbuster, Avatar: Fire and Ash, has sent social media into a frenzy. However, fans of “Chi-Chi” should take a beat—the footage is not real.
The Viral Video: AI at Play
The clip, which shows Govinda dressed in glittery, colorful Indian attire while sporting the iconic blue Na’vi skin, is an AI-generated parody. In the video, Govinda is heard speaking in his trademark Mumbai dialect while Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully looks on. While the edit is convincing, these scenes do not exist in the actual film, which recently opened to a massive $347 million global debut.
The Origins of the ‘Avatar’ Myth
The AI video is a nod to Govinda’s famous and often-debated claims regarding the original 2009 Avatar. The actor has maintained in multiple interviews—including a 2024 session with Bheeshm International—that he was the one who suggested the title Avatar to James Cameron.
- The Offer: Govinda claimed he was offered the lead role (which required 410 days of shooting) for ₹18 crore.
- The Refusal: He reportedly turned it down because he didn’t want to paint his body for such a long period, fearing health issues. “If I paint my body, I will be in the hospital,” he famously stated.
The Reality Check
Longtime collaborator and producer Pahlaj Nihalani has dismissed these claims as a misunderstanding. According to Nihalani, Govinda was likely confusing the Hollywood project with a shelved Bollywood film titled Avatar that the duo was working on in the late 2000s. Nihalani noted that they had shot about 40% of that sports drama before it was canceled at Govinda’s request.
While Govinda may not be ruling Pandora, his legacy of colorful characters and dance moves continues to inspire internet creators to bridge the gap between Bollywood and Hollywood through technology.