Cops teach bully Govinda a lesson in law
`I am an MP, talk to your boss` - This is how Bollywood actor Govinda threatened police officers when he was found on the wrong side of the law, shooting at Marve Beach for his film Kill Dil on Tuesday evening, without permission. The actor was stretching facts a bit - he stopped being an MP years back, in 2009.
After high drama among ganpati immersion proceedings, all the pressure tactics applied by the actor on the police team - including a call to Mumbai's top cop - proved futile, when the actor was asked to pack up with the unit and leave.
The incident took place on Tuesday evening at Marve beach where the actor showed up for his upcoming film Kill Dil, a Yash Raj production. `The shoot was supposed to take place in the morning, but it started only after noon, as Govinda was late for the shoot, said a member of the unit, requesting anonymity.
As Govinda arrived on the sets, a team of officials from Malwani police station that was patrolling the beach for Ganpati immersions spotted huge lights on the beach, amidst the hectic immersion activities. A police inspector who was leading the team asked his constable to visit the spot and enquire if permission had been taken.
Next, a back-and-forth followed between the cop and the actor, with the constable playing messenger. The constable returned with the information that the unit had not taken necessary permission from the police or the BMC. So I asked him to stop the shoot, said an inspector from Malwani police station, requesting anonymity.
He added, `The city is already on alert, and in such a scenario, this kind of shoot on such a day could give rise to a security threat. Also, the crowd visiting the beach for Ganesh immersions might have gone berserk on spotting the actor.
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As the constable went to the actor and conveyed his superior order, Govinda in turn asked the inspector to report to him, identifying himself as an MP and saying that the police had no right to stop his shoot. When the constable rushed back to the inspector and relayed Govinda's words, the inspector was suitably irked.
What MP?
Thankfully, the cop was aware that Govinda was stretching facts, and used the knowledge to his advantage. `The inspector then asked the constable to tell Govinda that he is no longer an MP. He also passed along the message that the actor should report to him if he wanted to discuss the issue,` said a constable who was part of the police team.
Infuriated that the red carpet wasn't being rolled out for him, a fuming Govinda rushed towards the police team for a confrontation. He then angrily made a phone call in front of the inspector, and handed over his phone to the official, saying ,`Apne boss se baat karo` (Talk to your boss). Govinda had called up Police Commissioner Dr Satyapal Singh, in an attempt to pull strings so he could continue with his shoot.
Dashing the actor's hopes of some royal treatment, Singh spoke to the inspector and ordered him to take action as per the law. Senior Inspector from Malwani police station Abdul Rauf Shaikh said, ` We had worked as per rules when we found that Govinda is shooting without any permission during Ganpati immersion.
If the crowd went out of control to get a glimpse of the actor and something went wrong, who would take responsibility? Govinda rang up so many people, but we asked him to vacate the place immediately, if he did not have any permission.`