Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Original Release: October 27, 2023
My Overall Rating: 4 stars out of 5
 |
| Original book cover via Amazon |
Manoj Kumar Sharma (Vikrant Massey) wants to be a police officer. In order to get the job he wants - Indian Police Service (IPS) officer - he has to pass the civil service exam. In fact, that's just the first hurdle. The deck is stacked against him. He grew up in poverty, then failed his Class 12 exams when his entire batch (class) was caught cheating with their teachers' assistance. Based on a true story - and Anurag Pathak's book of the same title - the film follows all of his adventures and misadventures in pursuing his dream.
12th Fail was a surprise commercial and critical success, earning more than triple its budget at the box office and winning five categories at the Filmfare Awards, the Hindi-language Oscars, including Best Film. It's easy to root for Manoj. Beyond the obvious underdog appeal, he strives to follow the example of his own father and also DSP Singh, two men determined to call out the prevalent corruption in Indian society. Plus, he falls in love with Shraddha, a fellow civil service candidate. So we get a romance to root for, too. Massey's disarming smile doesn't hurt either.
The story is undeniably predictable - an inspiring civil service exam movie - but also undeniably charming. From my under-informed outsider perspective, the social commentary is poignant if a bit heavy-handed. Indian critics praised the film as a glimpse of reality for the hardships civil service candidates must endure. I found it to be solid all-around. Acting, writing and visuals were all strong. Good pacing, too - a 2 1/2-hour film didn't seem it.
This is the first I hear of it.
ReplyDelete