12th Fail trailer: Vikrant Massey scrubs toilets and aims for clean slate in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s UPSC drama

12th Fail trailer: Vikrant Massey plays a UPSC aspirant from small-town India in director Vidhu Vinod Chopra's inspiration drama.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | October 3, 2023 12:08 PM IST

3 min read

Vikrant Massey in a still from Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 12th Fail.

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Director Vidhu Vinod Chopra is back with a new film, the inspiring drama 12th Fail, starring Vikrant Massey as an IPS aspirant named Manoj. The film’s first trailer was unveiled on Tuesday, and it takes viewers on a journey that begins with Manoj flunking the 12th grade, but ‘restarting’ his efforts to follow his dreams and serve the country.

At nearly three minutes long, the trailer reveals quite a bit of the film’s plot, which starts with Manoj as a high schooler in the Chambal district. When Manoj fails his 12th boards, he is distraught, but his friends encourage him to not give up. The trailer also reveals that from the 2 lakh people who compete for the UPSC exams, only around 30 get through. We then see glimpses of Manoj being mistreated by superiors, but determinedly proceeding with his plans. He meets resistance along the way, but always has an inspiring speech at the ready.

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Like Hrithik Roshan in Super 30 and Ranveer Singh in Gully Boy, Vikrant also seems to be in brownface makeup to make him look less urban. 12th Fail, based on a real story, draws from the gritty struggles of millions of students who attempt the UPSC entrance exam. Talking about the film, Vidhu Vinod Chopra said, “In today’s times, I wanted to tell a story of hope, a story of never giving up. 12th Fail is all that and more. I have laughed, cried, sung along, and had fun making this movie. I truly believe that this film will find universal connect when it comes out in theatres.”

The veteran filmmaker’s last release was the Kashmir-set drama Shikara, which debuted just before the first Covid lockdown in 2020. He remains best known for films such as Parinda, 1942: A Love Story and Mission Kashmir, and for producing blockbusters such as Munna Bhai MBBS and 3 Idiots. 12th Fail is set to release worldwide on October 27th in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.

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