Director Vidhu Vinod Chopra is a happy man and rightly so. The filmmaker's latest film 12th Fail has taken the nation by storm. The film, a cinematic portrayal of the life of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, has been headlined by Vikrant Massey. In addition to being a box office success, the film has received a lot of love from critics and celebrities alike. The movie, in fact, has achieved the 100-day milestone and the occasion was celebrated by the team of 12th Fail in the form of a grand party. At the event, Vidhu Vinod Chopra recounted a conversation he had with his wife before the release of the film. Vidhu Vinod Chopra is married to prominent film critic-author Anupama Chopra, who as per the filmmaker was not sure 12th Fail would do well in theatres and had asked her husband to take the OTT release route.
“100 days ago, on this very screen, we had our first show. When we talk about numbers, Rs 100 cr, now there's Rs 500 cr, Rs 1,000 cr, Rs 2,000 cr, but to me it boils down to one thing. What is your intention? Why are you making that film? You make an honest film and it can reach those numbers. When I was making the film, I was told by everyone, including my dearest wife [Anupama Chopra], to put it out on OTT!” the filmmaker says in a conversation with Vikrant Massey, shared by Showsha.
Recounting the conversation with his wife, Vidhu Vinod Chopra added, “She [Anupama Chopra] said, ‘Nobody will go to see Vinod! Teri aur Vikrant ki film!' [Your and Vikrant's film!] She told me I don't know, that I'm not connected with movies (anymore). On top of this, these (trade) agencies were writing that it'll open at Rs 2 lakhs and do a lifetime business of Rs 30 lakhs! Everyone scared me…It opened very small but that's okay, because look at where we are?”
Anupama Chopra, who was also present at the event, said: “I've had very little contribution here, it (the success) is of all these people here. But, he's right, I did say. I don't know who will come to the theatre to see this film. So I'm saying, in public, that I was wrong and you are right!”
About the film, NDTV's Saibal Chatterjee wrote: “A realistic and restrained adaptation of a book of the same name, the film centres on a young man, a struggling Hindi medium student, who makes the journey from a lawless Chambal village to the top echelons of the police force, inevitably hitting many a daunting roadblock on the way…12th Fail is an entertaining, thought-provoking version of the true story of an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. The screenplay yields a completely relatable narrative. It squeezes every ounce of drama from the rough and tumble of the man's voyage without resorting to any sort of excess.”
In addition to Vikrant Massey, the film also stars Medha Shankar, Anant V Joshi, Anshumaan Pushkar, and Priyanshu Chatterjee.
