In their buddy days, Govinda had gifted Rani Mukerji a bungalow in Juhu on a plot that belonged to him. In those days, she lived with her parents in an apartment in Andheri and was on the lookout for a bigger place. When Govinda learnt that Rani was looking out for real estate in the suburbs, he gifted her the bungalow. The papers that were in Govinda’s name were later transferred to the actresses’ name, making her the sole owner. With time, the duo drifted apart and even ceased to be friends. Now, sources reveal that Govinda wants Rani to return the bungalow to him. Reversal of fortunes
A source reveals, “At the time he gifted the place to her, he was a big star and she was just an upcoming actress. Today she is the bigger star and he is struggling to make a comeback. Naturally, he thinks he has the right to ask her to return the gift. He’d gifted Rani the Juhu property due to emotional reasons and those reasons no longer exist. Besides, Rani recently bought a sprawling property in Juhu’s Janki Kutir area, so Govinda thinks it’s the right time to ask her to hand over the bungalow back to him.” The actor-turned-MP hasn’t yet contacted Rani directly, but has been discussing the possibility with a few common friends. The source continues, “Chi Chi is a very emotional person. In the past, he has gifted close friends and relatives huge amounts of money and lavish gifts.” Except a few close friends, no one knows about Govinda’s gift to Rani, “She too didn’t mention it to anyone. But now with Chi Chi talking about taking the property back, it will soon be out in the open.” The moment we mentioned Rani to Govinda, he hung up.