Vikrant Massey’s 12th Fail has left audiences and critics alike impressed with its inspiring storyline and stellar performances. The film became a major box office success, earning praise not just from fans but also from fellow celebrities. Vikrant Massey’s powerful portrayal garnered widespread acclaim. However, an interesting revelation came from Vidhu Vinod Chopra during the 14th edition of the IFP festival. He shared that before stepping into the director’s chair himself, he had approached five other directors to helm the film. Surprisingly, all of them turned down the offer, and one even ghosted him. Left without a director, Chopra ultimately took on the role himself, steering the project to its remarkable success.
“Five directors turned down 12th Fail because they thought it was ‘bulls**t’—a plain, ordinary script,” revealed Vidhu Vinod Chopra during the 14th edition of the IFP festival. “I’m not supposed to say it, but one of them is even on various panels here today,” he said, emphasizing the importance of following one’s heart. Recounting his conversation with one of those directors, Chopra shared, “This director came to my house, saying, ‘I’ve waited five years to be here. Every time I passed this building, I thought, this is my future.’ He named legends like Bhansali and Raju Hirani as inspirations, claiming he was finally where he wanted to be. We thought we had our director. So, I told Jas Kohli, the writer-director of Zero Se, ‘Start the film.’ But four days later, the director vanished. He eventually sent a message through someone else saying, ‘Please tell VVC, it’s not my kind of film.'”
When Chopra decided to direct the film himself, he faced even more resistance. “My co-producer, who runs my company, said, ‘Are you crazy? You made Parinda, 1942: A Love Story. This isn’t your film.’ And when I cast Vikrant Massey, people told me, ‘No one will come to the cinemas for this. You and Vikrant? Are you serious?'”
Despite the doubts, Chopra followed his instincts. “When the film was released, predictions from industry portals said it would do just 30 lakhs in lifetime business. But 12th Fail went on to touch many, many crores. I don’t focus on business, but it was huge.”
Adapted from Anurag Pathak’s book and starring Vikrant Massey and Medha Shankar, 12th Fail narrates the life story of Manoj Kumar Sharma. Overcoming severe poverty, Sharma went on to achieve the rank of Indian Police Service officer. The film sheds light on his journey, highlighting the pivotal role played by his wife, IRS officer Shraddha Joshi, in his success.
Speaking to ANI earlier, Vikrant recalled the deep impact that the film had on him. “Even with Manoj Kumar Sharma, there were moments when Vinod sir would call a cut and I would continue weeping even after the cut was called because I just could not control myself,” he said.
Vikrant mentioned in the interview that some roles have a great impact on the actor personally. He also mentioned how playing his character in A Death in the Gunj pushed him to dark corners. “That was the first time, after filming that film, I started taking therapy because I felt I needed to talk to someone. If you tell your parents about your worries, then they get worried so you really can’t share all these things with them,” he said.
In a recent development, a special screening of the film took place at the Supreme Court on September 25. The Chief Justice of India along with other honourable judges and over 600 officials of the Supreme Court and their families attended the special screening. Chief Justice of India Dr D Y Chandrachud also praised the film in a conversation with director Vidhu Vinod Chopra and his team following the screening.
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