12th Fail – My Flash Review!

In 1998, Vidhu Vinod Chopra made Kareeb – a love story that was sweet, simple and staid in its making. The movie didn’t do well at the box office then. Till then Chopra was known for making films with a flair and flourish like Parinda, 1942: A Love Story etc… Post Kareeb, Chopra went on to become one of the most successful producers in Bollywood bank rolling Raju Hirani’s films like the Munna Bhai series, 3 Idiots and others until the last one – Dunki. After a long while, Chopra once again dons the Director’s hat with 12^th Fail – a Kareeb-like film in its down-to-earth, unpretentious and straightforward making style and storytelling.

12^th Fail captures on screen the real-life journey of a police officer Manoj Kumar Sharma from his school days in the rural Chambal area to clearing the Civil services exam beating many a social, cultural and class divides on the way. Coming to think of it, there is nothing unique or novel in this storyline. We have seen many films with such a premise in the past in different languages. There is nothing unique in terms of craft as well that is visible in the film. The screenplay is linear and follows the journey as such without much of drama or fuss. Yet, what stands out in the film is the positivity it radiates throughout and the emotional chords it touches at various points.

Because it is a real story being re-told, Chopra doesn’t latch onto cinematic liberty to heighten the drama. The lead character and the people around him are honest and straightforward. In his struggle, he is being helped by a stranger who becomes his close friend later, a senior who becomes a mentor and of course his love interest. In a cinematic world where we are used to seeing only conspiracies, backstabbing, corruption and all such negative vibes, 12^th Fail comes as a whiff of fresh air.

Vikrant Massey who plays the lead role of Manoj Kumar Sharma on screen is outstanding as the young man who wants to achieve his goal of becoming a police officer – come what may. As a character who is frustrated yet not frustrated, who is disappointed but not disappointed and who is confident while actually not being so, Massey needed to subsume the character within himself and live it on screen – which he does very competently.

With his standing, Chopra could have easily opted for a “star” like Ranveer Singh for the lead role and tried to make a typical Bollywood film of it if you understand what I mean. But he gives precedence to the content in hand and opts for a low-budget outing which is commendable. In the bargain, the film failed to get the audience it deserved, in my opinion. 12^th Fail has the hangover of Chopra’s earlier productions like the interview scene at the end that closely resembles the campus interview scene in 3 Idiots or the use of voice-over to push forward the story again like in 3 Idiots. I don’t know if it is just me or anyone else who noticed the continuity issue when the lead character talks about failing Prelims even when in the previous scenes, he is shown to be clearing the Prelims.

In terms of making, Chopra opts for a plain vanilla approach. The lighting is most of the time dark even during the day. After a long time in cinema, one could hear the sound of a Sitar as the lead BGM instrument which is refreshing instead of the usual loud metal backgrounds we are fed these days. The camera work is real capturing the dry land of Chambal as well as the dingy rooms in Delhi as close as possible.

12^th Fail is a feel-good film that is meant to motivate and inspire people to achieve what they have in mind while beating all odds. From that point of view, it is a film that should be encouraged to watch by all particularly the student community. It clearly belongs to the “Award film” category and is certain to be among the top contenders for the Best Film with a social message. From a pure cinematic craft point of view, it doesn’t offer anything novel. Coming from the stable of Vidhu Vinod Chopra it was a tad disappointing. 12^th Fail is now streaming on Disney+Hotstar and is a one-time watch.