Sunita Ahuja reveals why her marriage to Govinda was kept secret, struggles with early restrictions: ‘Govinda was absent when Tina was born’

Govinda’s wife Sunita Ahuja recently opened up about the restrictions she faced after their marriage, especially due to their different upbringings. She shared that while she grew up in Mumbai’s affluent Pali Hill, Govinda was from Virar, a contrast that she initially struggled with.
“I never imagined I would fall in love with Govinda and marry him,” Sunita said in an appearance on the Time Out with Ankit podcast.She revealed that she married Govinda when she was just 18, and they had their daughter a year later. She humorously recalled how she had to adapt her wardrobe from miniskirts to sarees because Govinda’s mother wouldn’t approve of her modern outfits.
“I went from wearing miniskirts to sarees. That’s why my husband used to hate me. I would tell him, ‘I’m from Bandra, you’re from Virar, boss’. And he’d say, ‘No, my mother won’t like it’,” she said, adding that Govinda was fine with actresses wearing short clothes in his films, but not with her.
Reflecting on their 40-year relationship, Sunita shared, “If there’s anyone other than his mother that he loves, it’s me. I’ve been with him since before he was a megastar. I’ve been with him through thick and thin, through good days and bad. There must be a reason we’ve stayed together for 40 years, otherwise when do you hear of relationships that last this long these days?”

Sunita also mentioned that their marriage was kept secret for a year due to concerns that his stardom could be affected. She recalled the day their daughter Tina was born, while Govinda was busy with five shifts. “My mother-in-law was there with me, and after every shift, he’d check in and ask if the baby had been born. When he was at his third shift of the day, Tina was born. I didn’t realise how big a star he was,” she said.
She further explained that there was a belief in the past that a hero’s stardom could be affected if he was no longer seen as single. She remarked that this was the trend during those times, but once their daughter Tina was born, everyone became aware of their marriage.

Govinda and Sunita married in 1987, and they have two children, Tina and Yashvardhan.