Governor review: Manoj Bajpayee shines, underwhelming financial crisis drama missed opportunity that could have delved deeper

We have been seeing extensive movie promotions for Shahid Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna and Kriti Sanon’s Cocktail 2, and Varun Dhawan, Pooja Hegde and Mrunal Thakur’s Hai Jawaani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, with promotions continuing in full swing even after the movies’ release. But unfortunately, Manoj Bajpayee’s film Governor, which released today, wasn’t promoted well and not many know that it has hit theatres. The film is quite apt and relevant in today’s time.

Governor is not the usual masala massy watch but caters to a niche audience. It is engaging, immersive and, most importantly, hugely relevant.

Story line

The film talks about a pivotal chapter in India’s economic history, when the nation was standing on the verge of bankruptcy in 1990. The movie highlights the outrage and rising tension among the common people. The film opens with a young businessman burning himself alive on the roads of Mumbai because a bank refused him a loan. At that time, the country’s economic state wasn’t good. The common people were not aware that India was heading towards bankruptcy.

The film highlights the economic struggles and how India battled them, but it never truly captures the anxiety and urgency of a country standing on the brink of financial collapse.

The film is more or less hero-driven and not focused on the crisis. A crisis that involved multiple institutions, policymakers and key decision-makers is condensed into a narrative that often prioritises one individual’s journey over the larger picture. As a result, many of the complexities, debates and conflicts surrounding the events are simplified to the point where they lose their impact.

Needless to say, Manoj Bajpayee delivers a sincere and composed performance, adding credibility whenever he is on screen. The screenplay lacks the dramatic weight and tension needed. The crux of the film is lost in the man’s struggles. The supporting cast is largely underutilised, and the political face-offs never generate the excitement or intensity they should.

On the technical side, the film remains equally underwhelming.

The film is a missed opportunity. Governor succeeds in making a complex topic easy to understand. A remarkable chapter, unheard and unpolished, could have been layered, engaging and hard-hitting, but it remains repetitive and surface-level drama that fails to pull off its potential.

The gripping political-economic thriller can be skipped in theatres but could be a good watch on OTT.

A user wrote, Governor had all the ingredients to be a massive blockbuster and a critically acclaimed masterpiece. But what did the team do? Absolutely nothing. The terrible marketing strategy completely killed the buzz before the movie could even breathe. There is literally no hype on the ground because nobody even knows the film is releasing! Manoj Bajpayee delivers a powerhouse performance as always, but his incredible effort is being completely wasted by an incompetent marketing team. He seriously needs to fire this PR agency immediately! You cannot treat a premium, content-driven film with such casual laziness. Total disaster management.”

Another mentioned, “#Governor is a RAW, GROUNDED, ROOTED, SUSPENSEFUL thriller, headed by the masterful performance by #ManojBajpayee, what a film, what a performance. Definitely one of the best films for me until this time of the year. I was gripped most of the time.”