'No life jackets, in leather pants': Shilpa Shirodkar recalls 'panicking in the middle of deep water' due to near-drowning mishap with Govinda on ‘Hum’ sets in 1991

Veteran actress Shilpa Shirodkar has opened up about one of the most frightening moments of her film career, recalling how a song shoot for 'Hum' nearly turned into a disaster. Looking back at the incident, the actress revealed that she almost drowned while filming with Govinda. The incident resurfaced during the latest episode of 'India's Best Dancer Season 5', where Shilpa was surprised with a special video message from Govinda.

The actor fondly remembered their successful collaborations before narrating the dramatic episode that unfolded during the making of the film.

Govinda recalls pulling Shilpa Shirodkar out of the water

Sharing the incident in his trademark humorous style, Govinda remembered, "Woh, use tairna nahi aata. Halanki mujhe bhi, main bhi koi accha swimmer toh tha nahi. Shilpa paani mein doob gayi aur main akela chala raha hoon. 'Haye haye Shilpa kidhar hai re? Kidhar hai?' Gayi paani mein.

Phir? Main jaake Shilpa ko baahar nikala. Ab baahar aate heen Shilpa boli, 'Tujhya aayela... arey isse kaha tha ki mujhe abhi swimming nahi aati hain, kaaye ko isme daal diya hain?'" ("She didn't know how to swim.

To be honest, I wasn't a very good swimmer either. Shilpa suddenly went under the water, and I was left handling the boat by myself. I kept shouting, 'Oh no! Where is Shilpa? Where is she?' She had disappeared into the water. Then I jumped in and pulled her out. As soon as she came out, Shilpa scolded everyone in Marathi, saying, 'I had already told him that I don't know how to swim. Why did he put me in this situation anyway?'")Govinda's lively narration had the audience laughing, while Shilpa smiled as she listened to the story being retold.

Although the actor recalled the moment with humour, the experience had been genuinely terrifying for those involved.

Shilpa Shirodkar was panicking in the middle of the water

In response, Shilpa described the difficult conditions under which film shoots were conducted during the early 1990s. She explained that there were only a handful of people on location and almost no safety arrangements despite filming in deep water. Recalling the experience, she said, "Jis situation mein shooting karte the, bohot gin-chun ke log the.

Main leather pant mein thi aur wahan pe W.B. Rao sir dusre boat mein aise bol rahe the pose karne, and I was panicking because we were in mid-water.

Only four people were there. No life jacket, kuch nahi. And that's how we worked at that time." ("The conditions under which we used to shoot were completely different back then. There were only a handful of people on set. I was wearing leather pants, and W.B. Rao sir was in another boat asking me to pose.

I was panicking because we were in the middle of the water. There were only four people around. There were no life jackets or any safety equipment. That's how we worked in those days.")

A song sequence that became unforgettable

Shilpa further shared that the heavy costume she was wearing made the situation even more uncomfortable. Being surrounded by water with limited assistance nearby only added to her anxiety. Despite the scare, the team completed the sequence successfully. The song eventually became part of the film and continues to be remembered by audiences who grew up watching the 1991 blockbuster.Directed by Mukul S. Anand, 'Hum' featured an impressive ensemble that included Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Govinda, Shilpa Shirodkar, and

Kimi Katkar

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