12th Fail
Rating: **** ½
Just when the talented Vikrant Massey was becoming typecast as the supportive husband in heroine-centric film he delivers an exceptional performance in an author-backed role as an IAS aspirant from the Chambal Valley who journeys from a failed student to a successful civil servant.
That this moving and inspiring film is based on true facts makes it all the more commendable. Vinod Chopra who has helmed a series of duds in recent years including the anaemic film on Kashmiri Pundits Shikara, directs this heartfelt homage to the never-say-die spirit with an unwavering sincerity.
This is Chopra’s best film in years. It is a motivational film but not swamped by its urge to make a statement. Shot in real locations the actors are well chosen, each furnishing a heft to his or her part without making it look like a favour to human kind.
Vikrant Massey anchors the moving motion picture. His body language as an aspiring civil servant from Chambal,and his expressions of hurt, anger, desperation and finally, triumph earns him the right to be counted among the great contemporary actors.
This majestically motivational emotion picture is not for the snarky sections of viewers. It is a feelgood film in every sense. Goodhearted characters jump of out of the dark desperate layers of poverty to light a candle in the wind for our hero. Early on there is long-time-no-see Priyanshu Chatterjee as an idealistic cop who bursts a exam scam and never looks back.
This may be too much goodness for the cynics to digest. For those of us who want cinema to offer a flickering diya on a moonless night, 12th Fail is the go-to movie that moves. It is an instant classic for its rich array of hopeful characters seeking salvation in a society that shuns the underdogs.
