Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s newest film, 12th Fail, has become a box office success and received acclaim from critics and fans alike. The film is based on a true story and follows the inspiring journey of an ambitious boy from a poor family, IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma. 12th Fail has managed to rake in about $8.5 million since its theatrical release on October 27, 2023, which is about thrice as much as its production cost of $2.5 million.
Vikrant Massey (Manoj Kumar Sharma) and Medha Shankr (Shraddha Joshi) starred in the film’s titular roles, and their phenomenal acting played a big role in its success. From a strong male and female lead to a stronger, well-knit plot, and excellent-directed sequences, the hype is well-deserved! Let’s take a deeper look at why people are so crazy about it!
The Vidhu Vinod Chopra Film Has Become the First Bollywood Film in 23 Years to Complete 25 Weeks in Theaters
12th Fail has managed to complete its silver jubilee run by staying in theatres for 25 consecutive weeks! No other film has been able to achieve this feat in Bollywood in the last 23 years. Just to set the context for how long this is — Bollywood’s last major hit, Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal, which earned over $110 million worldwide, was only in theaters for about 7 weeks before it became available to stream on Netflix. On the other hand, 12th Fail came to Netflix nearly two months after its theatrical release, and it’s still running strong! The film is set on its way to more success as its team prepares for a launch in China. But that’s not all!
Chopra has recently put up a poster on his Instagram for a project titled Zero Se Restart. This project details how 12th Fail was made and gives viewers an insider perspective behind the hit film. The term “Zero Se Restart” is actually a dialogue from the film which translates to “Start From Scratch, Again,” and basically highlights the struggle Manoj Kumar Sharma went through to be able to clear the state’s highest honorary exam.
Its Story is Highly Relatable and Speaks to All Kinds of People
The film’s story is centered around the life of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, a man who surpassed countless challenges to turn his life around. It shows how, with the support of a certain few, he could fulfill his dreams, with only one piece of advice from a senior police officer — to never cheat in life again. The beauty of the plot hails from Manoj Kumar Sharma’s beauty of hard work. He spends his nights and days working at a small flour mill — in a room so small that he’s unable to stand up straight.
Despite being super ambitious and a genius, he ends up failing his exam, just because he misreads tourism for terrorism — highlighting his inability to keep up with the English language. He goes on to fail three out of his four attempts, only to make it to the fourth and it’s one of the most beautiful moments hailing from Indian cinema in the last decade. In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, the lead actress Shankr went on to reveal that they all kept crying even after the final scene was shot, done, and dusted. It was so intense that it reminded them all of their own humble backgrounds!
Since many people in India have faced similar issues in their lives — it’s no wonder that the film is still running strong in theaters! Chopra, the film’s director, has always understood what it takes to make a film resonate with the people.12th Fail represents an important aspect that people need to have in their lives: the strength to restart. The director went on to share in an interview with Filmfare, that he has always been inspired by Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s poem, Haar Nahi Manunga, which translates to “I’ll Never Give Up” and used it to inspire others.
Medha Shankr’s Role Goes Beyond Bollywood’s Typical Prop Female Lead Character
Another highlight of the film is Shraddha Joshi, the strong female lead who is a refreshing change from Bollywood’s typical decorative female roles. She’s like a breath of fresh air in the film, for both audiences and Massey’s Manoj — since she so perfectly embodies a woman with a goal in her life and someone who sees the potential in others. Although she too does get taken away with the standards of society at one moment and brushes off Manoj for not entirely being capable of marrying her, the beauty of the film is that her character makes a beautiful comeback, to support Manoj in his weakest moments!
She goes on to become an IRS officer before Manoj ever becomes an IPS officer. But the best part is, she is more than willing to satirically “open a flour mill” with him in case he fails his fourth attempt too! Her larger-than-life character not only rekindles love among couples, inspiring them to fall in love with their partners all over again but also stirs the hearts of singles, making them long for a love they have yet to find. Vinod Chopra’s advice to Shankr to be inspired by Joshi rather than imitate her made all the difference in her portrayal.
The Anxiety-Focused Sequences in the Film Are Captured Brilliantly
From a cinematic standpoint, 12th Fail’s charm is in how its scenes have been captured. One particular influence in Chopra’s directing is that of Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter. Pinter introduced the art of pauses and silence to excel in cinematic sequences. Chopra brought the film’s anxiety-focused sequences to life using this technique.
From the sound of Sharma’s pulse to long pauses and momentary silences, each sound or lack thereof is a work of art. Another climatic scene of the movie, Sharma and Joshi’s reunion, is set inside an empty classroom and has viewers on the edge of their seats. Leading all the way up to the final interview of Manoj — from his uncomfortable new shoes to him sweating, gaining back his confidence, and going back all in with who he is — it was all brilliantly executed.
Where Can You Watch 12th Fail?
If you’re in India, there’s a great chance that you can catch 12th Fail in cinemas for a few more weeks! But if you’re looking to stream online, the film is available to stream on Netflix and for rent on several home video platforms. You will also want to check out these 9 films Bollywood copied from Hollywood and got away with it!
Follow Us
