12TH FAIL MOVIE REVIEW: A Gentle Film That Stays True To It’s Purpose

 Hi everyone, I am Artist. Living in the city of dreams aka illusion-MUMBAI, it has been quite an adventure I would say. So, this is my Blog about what I am which means that I am Movies, Movies are me. My only source of entertainment are movies. SO LETS START!!

Date Of Release: November 03, 2023

Runtime: 147 minutes

Genre: Biological Drama

Language: Hindi

Budget: ₹20 crores

Box Office Collection: ₹48.95 Crores

Directed, Written and Produced by: Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Music Director: Shantanu Moitra

Cinematographers: Rangarajan Ramabadran

Editors: Jaskunwar Kohli & Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Cast: Vikrant Massey, Medha Shankar, Anshuman Pushkar, Anant Vijay Joshi, Geeta Agarwal, Harish Khanna, Saritha Joshi, Vikas Divyakirti

Story:

ABOUT THE FILM:

Three years after helming a film on the Kashmiri Pandit exodus (Shikara, 2020), Vidhu Vinod Chopra returns to the director’s chair with 12th Fail. The film is based on Anurag Pathak’s book of the same name and tells the real-life story of Manoj Kumar Sharma — a youth from a hamlet in Madhya Pradesh’s Chambal — who failed Class 12 and still went on to become an IPS officer.

Chopra begins in the village, where, atop the terrace of a kuchcha house, a young Manoj (an earnest Vikrant Massey) is penning farrey (chits) for the upcoming board exams.

12th Fail is inspired by true events that happened in the life of Manoj Kumar Sharma, an IPS officer. Manoj’s father gets suspended for being honest in his work. Manoj studies at a school where his headmaster encourages students to be involved in malpractice during the exams. DSP Dushyant (Priyanshu Chatterjee) arrests that headmaster and explains to Manoj that honesty is the most important thing in life. Manoj gets inspired by the words of Dushyant, and he starts believing that an honest officer can bring change to society. How did Manoj become successful? What hardships did he go through? This is what the film is about.

So he decides to become a cop. As fate would have it, he meets an unlikely comrade at the Gwalior railway station. At this point, Manoj has been away from home, hungry for days, with his meagre money and supplies stolen on the way. Pritam Pandey (Anant Vijay Joshi) doesn’t just pay for his food, he also broadens his dream—it is through him that Manoj finds out about the UPSC exam and decides to become an IPS officer.
The two reach Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar—the teeming nest of UPSC aspirants, exploding with students, coaching centres, and a common dream—to make it through. It is here that Manoj and Pritam meet Gauri Bhaiya (Anshumaan Pushkar), a fellow dreamer awaiting the result of his final attempt. He coaches underprivileged students who have come to the epicentre with empty pockets and barebacks but a full resolve and undying grit.

In his quest to achieve the impossible, Manoj does it all—works as a cleaner at a neighbourhood library, helps Gauri Bhaiya with his tea stall, and even grinds wheat 15 hours a day, living in an inhospitable dingy shack. His faith in himself and his insurmountable goal is tested several times through all the crises, but not once does he let the fire in him go dim.
It is the brilliance of Chopra’s storytelling that he doesn’t let any bit of Manoj’s struggle stretch or go sluggish. Even at 147 minutes, 12th Fail continues to be as constantly relentless and fascinating as the man whose tale it tells.

Then there is Vikrant Massey at the heart of it all. It is his earnestness, perseverance, pain, and raw artistry that throbs through the entire film, making you believe that if he can, you can too. That we’re only as big as what we aspire to do and how we reach there.

I had a question to ask you all that how was the film to you. Did you like it or have any more to add.

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