Govinda once slapped a fan; it led to almost a decade-long legal battle, sting operation, and Supreme Court apology

Govinda, the ultimate king of comedy in the 90s, had millions of fans who adored him. But in 2008, one fan’s dream encounter turned into a nightmare when Govinda slapped him on a film set. This incident sparked a long legal battle that lasted nearly a decade, ending only after the actor publicly apologised.In 2008, Govinda was shooting for 'Money Hai Toh Honey Hai' in Mumbai. As per multiple reports, one of his fans, Santosh Rai, came to the set hoping to catch a glimpse of his favourite actor. “Imagine being hit by someone you considered god,” Santosh later told Rediff. After the incident, rumours spread that Govinda had slapped Santosh for misbehaving on set.After the incident, Santosh decided to take legal action. He filed a case demanding an apology from Govinda. During the proceedings, Govinda’s team tried to submit a written apology and offer Rs. 5 lakh as compensation. However, the court made it clear that if Santosh refused the apology, Govinda could face prosecution under criminal intimidation and assault charges, with a possible two-year jail sentence.The legal battle stretched over several years, keeping the matter in the headlines. Finally, in 2017, Govinda issued an apology to Santosh Rai and the Supreme Court. In March this year, during a conversation with Mukesh Khanna, Govinda spoke about how alone he felt during the controversy. He said, “The slapping case was so lucky for me. Somebody was misbehaving and I slapped the person. The case went on for 9 years and in the end, a friend of mine told me to do a sting operation on him and record whatever he was saying.” He added that the man called himself a ‘rakshas (devil)’ and referred to Govinda as ‘ishwar (god)’, saying, “The guy asked me for 3-4 crores to take back the case. I recorded that conversation and sent it to court.”