Bollywood actor Govinda has recalled an emotional conversation with his mother, Nirmala Devi, in which she asked him to promise that he would forgive people who deceived him. Speaking in a recent interview with ABP News, the actor said his mother spoke about her impending death and urged him not to respond to betrayal with revenge.Govinda said he initially struggled with her request because he did not see himself as someone who could easily forgive others. But his mother insisted that he honour her wish, connecting forgiveness with gratitude for what God had given him.
5 Oct 2026 | 12:06
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“Promise me that you will forgive them”
Recalling the conversation, Govinda said his mother told him she would be leaving in 15 days. When he asked where she was going, she simply replied that she was going. He then recalled her telling him: “Govind, promise me that all these people are going to deceive you. God will keep everyone in front of you and make them deceive you. Promise me that you will forgive them.”The actor said he questioned the request, admitting that forgiveness did not come naturally to him. “I said, really? I am not a good person like you who forgives everyone. I am very revengeful. I don’t know how to forgive,” he recalled telling her.But his mother did not withdraw her request. According to Govinda, she told him he would have to forgive those who wronged him, warning that otherwise her death would not be a good one. She also reminded him that he had made a promise and that she trusted him to keep it.Govinda said he began crying as he accepted what she was asking of him. “I said, okay, you are saying this. All this deceit will happen. Why will this happen to me? Why will this happen?” he recalled asking her. His mother, he said, insisted that these events would happen because God had decided they would.
His mother connected forgiveness with gratitude
Govinda’s recollection also included the reason his mother gave for choosing forgiveness over resentment. She reminded him of the livelihood, respect, honour and dignity he had received in life, asking him to remain grateful rather than turn against others.“Son, whenever God has given you bread, livelihood, respect, honor, dignity, will you deceive him? Keep him happy. Tell him that whatever you have given me, I have accepted it. And I will forgive them,” Govinda recalled her saying. When the interviewer asked whether he would forgive, the actor replied, “100%, More than 100%. I will have to do it to everyone.”
What parents can teach children about being wronged
Govinda’s recollection offers a parenting lesson about how children learn to respond when someone hurts or disappoints them. Parents often want children to forgive, but simply telling them to forget what happened may leave them feeling that their hurt has been dismissed.A more useful approach is to help children distinguish between forgiving someone and allowing that person to hurt them again. Parents can acknowledge a child’s anger, listen to what happened and discuss what a fair response might look like. Forgiveness can be a personal choice; it does not have to mean pretending the incident never happened, immediately trusting the person again or giving up reasonable boundaries.