Govinda's Artificial Intelligence-generated cameo in Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Some Govinda fans have been jumping with joy on social media in reaction to a new video that’s being widely circulated. The video shows the actor, appearing as a Na’vi, decked up in a glittery, colourful Indian attire, and mouthing his popular “Hata sawan ki ghata” dialogue from David Dhawan’s 1997 romantic comedy Deewana Masatana. The caption suggests that this is his cameo in James Cameron’s Hollywood epic fantasy threequel, Avatar: Fire and Ash. However, that’s not exactly the case.
Sorry Govinda fans, but in case you’re wondering if there’s any truth to Govinda’s appearance in Avatar: Fire and Ash, let us break it to you that it’s a fake video generated by AI (Artificial Intelligence). Govinda’s close-up of speaking in local Mumbai dialect, as Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family react in the background, is not there in Avatar: Fire and Ash.
— Wellu (@Wellutwt) December 22, 2025
The AI-generated video, of course, stems from Govinda’s years-old claims that he was offered to star in the first part of the Avatar franchise, which released in 2009, by director James Cameron. The actor claimed he even met Cameron, but rejected the part even though he was offered Rs 18 crore for it. One of the concerns was his unwillingness to “paint his body blue” to play a Na’vi, the humanoid native of the fantasy world of Pandora in the franchise.
“I had met a Sardarji in America and gave him a business idea that worked. Some years later, he made me meet James Cameron. He asked me to do a film with James, so I invited them for dinner to discuss it. James told me the hero in the film was handicapped, so I said I am not doing the film. He offered me Rs 18 crore for it and said I would be required to shoot for 410 days. I said that is okay, but if I paint my body, I will be in the hospital,” Govinda claimed in a chat on Bheeshm International’s YouTube channel earlier this year.
Govinda even claimed that he suggested Cameron the title of the film. He also added that he regrets the decision since Avatar went on to become one of the world’s biggest hits, amassing $2.92 billion at the global box office. Its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) also earned $2.3 billion. The threequel, Avatar: Fire and Ash, witnessed an opening weekend of $347 million.
Govinda’s longtime collaborator and producer Pahlaj Nihalani dismissed the actor’s claims and suggested that he may be referring to their Bollywood sports drama Avatar, which they’d shot 40% portions of but was eventually shelved on Govinda’s request. “Woh Avatar title se pata nahi uske dimaag mein kya aaya, baad mein claim karta raha ki main waha (Hollywood) ki Avatar kar raha hoon. Uske dimaag ka disc ghum gaya aur language Hindi se English mein chala gaya (I don’t know what happened to him, but he started claiming that he was offered the Hollywood Avatar),” Nihalani told Friday Talkies in 2024.