Manoj Bajpayee is known for disappearing into every character he plays, and with Governor, he takes on yet another challenging role. Inspired by former RBI Governor S Venkitaramanan, the actor steps into the shoes of a man navigating one of the toughest financial periods in India’s history.
In an exclusive conversation with India TV, Bajpayee opened up about the challenges of portraying the character, why he never believes in chasing a one-take shot, and why he feels Governor is ultimately a story of hope rather than crisis.
‘You have to simplify and communicate easily with the audience’
Talking about the preparation that went into playing a character inspired by an RBI Governor, Manoj Bajpayee admitted that the role came with unique challenges because of the character’s personality and responsibilities. “Just to be, just to play another human being itself is a challenge. And here, you have to play a character who’s the RBI Governor.”
He continued, “Though his language, his whole behaviour, a pattern, his interaction with his family, he belongs to a different culture. He thinks very differently because obviously, he’s somebody who is handling the economy of the country. The challenges are very different from the day-to-day life of any common man. All of these things are something that you don’t see anyone facing on an everyday basis, right? It’s a film which is talking about economics also in the beginning. And then we have to simplify it and communicate easily with, to the audience and make it more simple for them to understand through your performance. That is a huge challenge.”
‘I’m never interested in one take’
One of the standout dialogues from the trailer, “Jo zaroorat ke waqt kaam na aye, wo dhan hi kya”, has already caught viewers’ attention. When asked if it took multiple attempts to perfect the scene, Bajpayee said he has never believed in measuring success by the number of takes.
“I’m not interested in one take. I’m never interested in one take. The goal is to excel. And how many takes it’s happening, it’s immaterial. What you see is the truth. The final take, the final okay take is the final truth. So everything else falls in the category of process.”
‘Governor is a very hopeful and a very positive film’
While Governor is rooted in India’s 1991 financial crisis, Bajpayee doesn’t believe audiences will find the subject difficult to digest. Instead, he sees it as an uplifting story about resilience and overcoming adversity. “Why it should be a hard pill? It’s a very inspiring story. You feel inspired and you feel hope that no matter how bigger the crisis, you always come out successfully. You always come out – come out of all those days and all those miserable times. But it’s a very hopeful and a very positive film and a very positive character.”
Governor released in theatres on June 12.
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