23 October 2026
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

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

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

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.

IAS Govind Jaiswal

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. 

Link to the movie trailer is given below:


Indian Masterminds Stories
Join our WhatsApp Channel
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
PFC logo resized Power Finance Corporation Ltd
PFC Incorporates Northern Region Power Transmission Limited for Grid Compensation Project 
pnb
PNB Wins Excellence Award, Secures First Runner-Up Position in Risk & Resilience Under EASE₹ise 8.0
Indian Railways Coal Loading Growth
Indian Railways Records 22.5% Growth in Coal Loading in October 2026, Dispatches 87 More Rakes Daily 
GYANDEEP Hindi Library
Defence Secretary Inaugurates Hindi Library ‘GYANDEEP’ at Sena Bhawan Under Special Campaign 6
India Post
India Post Crosses ₹4,000 Crore Quarterly Revenue for Two Consecutive Quarters, Records 24% Growth in H1 FY27
NALCO CVOs
NALCO Hosts CVOs’ Meet in Bhubaneswar to Strengthen Preventive Vigilance and Ethical Governance
BHEL_resized
BHEL Appoints Manepalli Sridhar as Director (Human Resources) Until August 2028 
K
Who Is K. Phanindra Reddy? Retired IAS Officer Appointed TNRERA Chairperson in Tamil Nadu
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
How India Plans to Boost Tourism, Create Jobs and Ease Overcrowding : Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on the Road to 2047
Dr Saket Badola IFS
Beyond Tigers and Safaris: How Corbett Literature Festival Wants to Change the Conservation Conversation
PK Jena
Why Technology Cannot Replace Human Connection in Governance: P.K. Jena
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Mavis tak
From Dropping Out of School to Becoming an IPS Officer : How a Father’s Unwavering Support Helped Mavis Tak Achieve Success
For Mavis Tak, becoming an IPS officer once seemed like a distant dream. Despite financial struggles...
Bhikan Rojekar UPSC
He missed MBBS by 1 mark in 2016; Maharashtra’s Bhikan Rojekar secures UPSC AIR 812
Bhikan Rojekar secured AIR 812 in UPSC CSE 2025 in his third attempt. Read how the son of a farm labourer...
Umar Janj UPSC CAPF
15+ Failures Couldn’t Stop Him: Umar Janj Secures AIR 160 in UPSC CAPF 2025
After multiple SSB setbacks, a CAPF interview miss by 12 marks and more than 15 failures, Umar Janj secured...
CSR NEWS
NLC India CSR Dispensary
NLC India Builds ₹1.23 Crore Dispensary in Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram Under CSR Initiative
Inaugurated on October 17, 2026, the new facility at Sri Ramakrishna Math in Keelanagachi aims to strengthen...
MGL CSR initiative
MGL Donates 30-Seater Hydraulic-Lift Bus to NIEPID Davangere Under MGL Saksham CSR Initiative
Inaugurated by MGL Vice President Sanket Dhotre on October 15, 2026, the accessible bus is expected to...
EIL CSR-
Engineers India Distributes Assistive Devices to 55 Divyangjans in Gurugram Under CSR Initiative
EIL’s CSR initiative provides motorised tricycles, hearing aids, wheelchairs and other aids to promote...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
PFC logo resized Power Finance Corporation Ltd
PFC Incorporates Northern Region Power Transmission Limited for Grid Compensation Project 
pnb
PNB Wins Excellence Award, Secures First Runner-Up Position in Risk & Resilience Under EASE₹ise 8.0
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
Dr Saket Badola IFS
PK Jena
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT