Early Life
Govinda’s father, Arun Ahuja, was born in pre-partition Gujranwala, Punjab, Pakistan on January 26, 1917. He studied in an engineering college at Lahore. Veteran producer Mehboob Khan brought him to Mumbai in 1937 and cast him in Ek Hi Raasta as the leading man. Arun was notable for acting in Mehboob Khan's Aurat (1940). Govinda's mother, Nazeem who was Muslim had converted to Hinduism and adopted the name Nirmala Devi. Arun and Nirmala first met during the making of the film Savera, in which they were cast opposite each other. They married in 1941.
The only film Ahuja ever produced was a flop. Unable to bear the loss, his health failed. The family, living in a bungalow on Mumbai's upmarket Carter Road, later moved to Virar — a northern Mumbai suburb, where Govinda was born. The youngest of six children, his pet name Chi Chi means little finger in Punjabi, the language they speak at home.Although some of the sites claim that he is Sindhi, Rajesh Thadani,President of Bihar Sindhi Association has explained that it is might be due to the fact that Sindhi also bear the title Ahuja. Since his father was unable to work, Nirmala Devi brought up the children through hard times in Mumbai.
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