As weird as it may sound but Govinda insists that he was offered James Cameron's Avatar way back when the filmmaker was busy with his casting. Yes, Cameron had approached the Partner actor for his dream project and that's not it. Govinda was apparently approached to play the lead role but he rejected politely. Yes, we understand this is a bit difficult pill to swallow but if the actor is claiming so, you can't really ignore his version, can you? Marvel’s Avengers: EndGame Beats Avatar to Be Highest Grossing Movie of All Time, Russo Brothers Thanks ‘The Greatest Fans in the Universe’.

Govinda was recently a guest on Rajat Sharma's popular talk show Aap Ki Adalat where he made this interesting and eyebrow-raising revelation. The actor revealed why he rejected this sci-fi drama and how he suggested the movie's title to Cameron. “It was me who had given the title of the movie. I had told (James Cameron) that your film will run successfully in cinemas. I also added that your film will take at least seven years to complete. That infuriated him," he said while narrating the details about the incident.

Now speaking of the reason why he rejected it, Govinda said, "I told him that the ‘avatar’ you want in the film is handicapped. Woh ishwar ka ansh hai aur apang hai…maine kaha ki yeh nahi hoga. And you want me to shoot for some 410 days and colour my body during the shoot. So I apologized for declining and left. And as predicted by me, the film released 8 or 9 years later and was a super-hit!” Well, believe it or not, but you just read Govinda's tale and it sounds pretty amusing and amazing at the same time. Avatar Director James Cameron and Avengers: Endgame Directors Russo Bros Are Hyping Each Other Up with These Mega-Cool Tweets.

Interestingly Govinda was also in talks for another project named 'Avatar' in 2012 with Pahlaj Nihalani. "After Shola Aur Shabnam and Aankhen, it's great to work with Pahlajji again. It is Pahlajji's subject and we are working hard on it," he said while speaking about his project to IANS. The project was eventually shelved.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 29, 2019 07:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).