Is Manoj Bajpayee's 'Governor' a real-life story?

• Manoj Bajpayee's film Governor released on 12 June
• It is inspired by former RBI Governor S. Venkitaramanan
• The thriller dramatises India's 1991 balance of payments crisis

Manoj Bajpayee’s latest movie Governor: The Silent Saviour released on Friday, June 12, and received mixed reviews from the audience and critics. Set in 1990, the film presents the time when India was

facing a massive Balance of Payment crisis. However, the film has also left everyone wondering if it is a real life story or fictional.

Is Governor A Real Life Story?

Manoj Bajpayee’s Governor is not entirely fictional. The film is inspired by the life and work of former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor S. Venkitaramanan, who played a crucial role during India’s historic 1991 balance of payments crisis. The makers have described the film as an economic thriller based on real events that unfolded when the country was on the brink of a financial collapse.

Who Was S. Venkitaramanan?

S. Venkitaramanan was the 18th Governor of the RBI, serving between December 1990 and December 1992. Before taking charge of the central bank, he had served as India’s Finance Secretary and was regarded as one of the country’s most experienced bureaucrats. He was appointed as the RBI Governor at a time when India’s foreign exchange reserves had fallen to dangerously low levels, creating fears that the country could default on its international obligations.

Governor Is Not A Documentary

It should be noted that while Governor is inspired by real events and a real individual, it is not a documentary. Like most biographical dramas, the film takes creative liberties to dramatise events and build its narrative.

Previously, in an interview with MoneyControl, Manoj Bajpayee talked about Governor and said, “The spine of it (the film) was very simple. There is an underdog who is pushed into this crisis and everybody is looking at him for some solution… completely adverse situation he is pushed into for an out-of-box solution. So this was a nice, simple spine of the script which I just loved.”

Directed by Chinmay Mandlekar, Governor is produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah and co-produced by Aashin A. Shah. The film has been written by Suvendu Bhattacharyjee, Saurabh Bharat, Ravi Asrani and Vipul Amrutlal Shah.