Based on the true story of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, 12th Fail sheds limelight on fearlessly embracing the idea of restarting the academic journey despite the setbacks and challenges and reclaiming one's destiny at a place where millions of students attempt the world's toughest competitive exam: UPSC.
Acting
Vikrant Massey builds Manoj brick by brick—no heroics, just hunger.
Direction
Chopra strips away Bollywood gloss; Mukherjee Nagar feels lived-in, sweaty, real.
Writing
That classroom speech about 'restart' hits like a gut punch you didn't ask for.
Director
Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Vikrant Massey
Manoj Kumar Sharma
Medha Shankr
Shraddha Joshi
Anant Joshi
Pritam Pandey
Anshumaan Pushkar
Gaurinandan
Priyanshu Chatterjee
Dushyant Singh
Geeta Agrawal Sharma
Pushpa Sharma
Harish Khanna
Ramveer Sharma
Vikas Divyakirti
Vikas Divyakirti
Sarita Joshi
Dadi
Sam Mohan
Deep Mohan
Sonal Jha
Shraddha's Mother
Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Pritam Pandey's Father
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Real IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma appears in a cameo during the train sequence—blink and you'll miss the man himself.
The film sparked actual 'restart' movements among UPSC aspirants in 2023, with coaching institutes using clips for motivation—ironic, given the film's critique of the coaching industrial complex.
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