After a bunch of lauded OTT releases and a successful awards season, National Award winner Manoj Bajpayee is coming back to the silver screen — this time in a role that is outside of the box for him — as a governor in a political thriller called Governor, produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah under Sunshine Pictures.
Manoj Bajpayee + Vipul Shah = A New Pairing and a Political Thriller
Governor will be directed by Chinmay Mandlekar (who also directs Bajpayee in the upcoming Inspector Zende for Netflix India), and he will be jumping into a politically fearless and theatrical vehicle — one that insiders describe as “commercial and with gravitas”.
Originally, Apoorv Singh Karki, the director of Bajpayee’s hit Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai (2023), was given the project until he resigned due to scheduling reasons. Then Bajpayee himself recommended Chinmay Mandlekar because of their synergy in Inspector Zende.
High-Concept Political Thriller, with an Impressive Legacy Crew
With Vipul Shah (the producer of Aankhen, Waqt, and Namastey London) backing this ambitious theatrical release and Sunshine Pictures developing the script over two years, Governor is positioned as a mainstream drama with a twist of realpolitik.
Auditions for supporting parts are in progress, and the countdown in pre-production is moving, with the initial shoot lined up for July to August 2025.
Sources close to the production have indicated that Bajpayee’s role will be one of his most multi-faceted to date, amid a politically heavy backdrop.
Bajpayee’s Busy Timeline: From Governors to Ghosts
The veteran actor is stacked this year — finishing up Neeraj Pandey’s Netflix project, a script by Ritesh Shah, moving on to Shekhar Kapur’s Masoom: The New Generation and Ram Gopal Varma’s Police Station Mein Bhoot.
And fans won’t have to wait long to see him again — Season 3 of The Family Man is set to launch this Diwali.
A New Manifesto for Political Thrillers
With Governer, it seems Manoj Bajpayee and Vipul Shah could be changing the landscape of political thrillers in Indian cinema. Based on the depth of talent involved, this isn’t just another celluloid example of the power game — it’s a manifesto.
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