"It is high time, that we talk about those unsung heroes": Manoj Bajpayee on 'Governor'

Bollywoon actor Manoj Bajpayee opened up about his childhood dream of becoming an actor, his father's wish for him to pursue medicine and his upcoming film, 'Governor', which is inspired by the events surrounding the country's financial crisis of the 1990s.

Directed by Chinmay Mandlekar, 'Governor' also stars Adah Sharma and Noushad Mohamed Kunju in the lead roles. The movie is set to be released on June 12.



Talking about his upcoming film backed by producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah, Bajpayee said the project is based on India's economic crisis and inspired by former RBI Governor S Venkitaramanan.

"When our country was going through a financial crisis, in which there was a crisis related to payment balance, our foreign reserves were getting over, then, at that time, he was posted suddenly. He was not in any line. There is a person in the line. After this, when the RBI governor is going, he will become the next. There are 2-3 names, or immediately, he becomes the next. But, he was not in the line," Bajpayee said.

He continued, "On the recommendation of Rajiv Gandhi(former Prime Minister), Chandra Shekhar ji (Former PM) ki government thi, yeh aaye the, and, at that time, Manmohan Singh was working as his parallel. And, his thinking, his whole strategy, was out of the box. Which, no one was thinking, and there was a big risk in it. He realised that, if we don't do this, then the matter will go wrong, our country will go bankrupt. So, he used his brain, he prepared the strategy, because of which a lot of things changed....."

The actor explained that the film highlights the contribution of "unsung heroes" who work behind the scenes for the country.

"We never talk about heroes, because they work behind the scenes, and the country works on their mind, strategy. It is high time that we talk about those unsung heroes who worked behind the scenes and saved us from a big problem," he said.

'The Family Man' actor also spoke about the preparation that went into portraying the calm and composed bureaucratic character.

"The need to work hard was that this man is a very silent person. He doesn't talk much. He just works. Because numbers are on his mind. And to catch that mind, you need some information. So, nowadays, to do research, you have a lot of things. Earlier, we had to go to the library. And nowadays, on Google or AI, everything is available," he shared.

Praising producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah, Bajpayee said, "Vipul's production is very supportive. They are always ready to give everything needed to make a good film."

The actor revealed that the script impressed him because it balanced information and entertainment effectively.

" I liked the script very much. First, you are talking about the economic crisis. Second, you have written it in a mainstream way. And the audience also understood everything. When I was studying, I was very bad in economics. I was very bad in mathematics. But I was understanding everything. And I was always thinking what is in the next page(in script), what is in the end, what is going to happen. Because I knew about this incident. But I did not know in detail. So, you get all the information. And at the same time, you get entertained. And your knowledge increases a lot," he shared.

"I would like bureaucrats, IAS and IPS officers, judges, politicians and the general audience to watch it. There are many people working silently to keep the country on the right path," Bajpayee added.

Speaking about his early years in Bihar, Bajpayee revealed that he knew from the age of nine that acting was his true calling, but societal perceptions at the time stopped him from openly expressing it.


"Since I was 9 years old, I only wanted to become an actor. But I was very shy. I don't know how God gave me so much wisdom that I never told anyone that I wanted to become an actor," Bajpayee said.

Reflecting on the atmosphere of the 1970s in Bihar, the actor said, "As soon as you said that you wanted to become an actor, people thought you had become a scoundrel. The whole society and family would get involved in breaking that dream."

The ace star shared that his father wanted him to become a doctor, a dream he did not wish to disappoint emotionally, despite knowing it was not meant for him.

"My father wanted me to become a doctor. So, I don't know why I was so attached to my father, emotionally, that I didn't want to disappoint him. But my mathematics and physics were very weak. Even then, he wanted me to fulfil his dream because he himself could not become a doctor," he said.

The actor added that although he attended classes and school assemblies, his mind was always occupied with acting.

"Every moment of my life was going into acting. But nobody could see it because I never showed it," he recalled.