Weekender

This IAS Officer’s Real-Life Story Inspires A Bollywood Film

2006-batch IAS officer Govind Jaiswal's struggle inspired the filmmakers of ‘Ab Dilli Dur Nahin’. The film is releasing on 12th May and is not a biopic. Coming from humble background Mr Jaiswal cleared UPSC CSE with AIR 48 and is now Director in MoHFW.

Muskan Khandelwal

21 May 2023 00:00 IST Updated On 22 May 2023 11:21 IST

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Hard work and strong will alone can accomplish your dream, the rest falls into place. IAS officer Mr. Govind Jaiswal is a living example of the statement. No amount of adversity could bar this 2006-batch officer from reaching his goal.

Being a rickshaw puller’s son, he had to overcome many obstacles to be where he is today as a Director in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

Inspired by the officer’s struggle as he secured an All India Rank of 48, a film ‘Ab Dilli Dur Nahin’ will be released on 12th May (Friday). The film is not his biopic but takes inspiration from his life.

Speaking with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Jaiswal said, “Everyone has a struggle in their life that sometimes continues throughout. Life is not fair, however we chose our life path and live by our principles.”

LIFE BEFORE IAS

Mr. Jaiswal had faced humiliation young. He was thrown out of a friend’s house because of his poor status. That triggered him to think big. He made up his mind to become an IAS officer to prove that the worth of a person should not be judged by financial status. His father had hearing disability and was handicapped due to an injured leg, so he pulled rickshaws to make ends meet.

But after some time, he couldn’t carry on with the hard labour and the family’s responsibility fell on Mr. Jaiswal. Often he and his family faced people’s scorns for harbouring such high hopes but Mr. Jaiswal’s family always supported his passion to be an IAS.

“Earlier, my family problems and identity was an issue. I knew I had to establish my career. To work hard, be disciplined was and still is the easiest thing for me to do,” Mr. Jaiswal said.

READYING A FUTURE IAS

He went to Delhi for preparation. He gave maths tuition to make extra bucks and even skipped meals at times to survive in the big city. He was clear about one thing — he did not have the luxury of going for a second or third attempt. It was either now or never. At 22, Mr. Jaiswal cleared UPSC CSE with AIR 48 in his very first attempt.

For the first few minutes, he was in shock and visibly trembling. He says that he was so overwhelmed by emotions that he had no power over his hands. When he tried to call home to give the big news he faltered to dial the numbers. But it also ended his 10 days nightmare when he waited for the results.

“One has to keep in mind that once they crack this exam, the struggle does not end, instead it continues,” Mr. Jaiswal shared.

AB DILLI DUR NAHIN

Directed by Kamal Chandra, starring Imran Zahid as the lead, this Dinesh Gautam’s story explores the hard work, success and failure of the protagonist. The movie was majorly shot in Delhi and also stars Mahesh Bhatt and actress Shruti Sodhi.

“I hope that this movie brings an ignition in the people and give them some inspiration. The trailer is good and I’ll watch the film,” the officer said.

The trailer shows Abhay Shukla who hails from a small town in Bihar reaches Delhi with a desire to clear UPSC CSE and become an IAS officer.