[Movie] Echoes of Resilience: "12th Fail" Review

I'm not sure how it skipped my mind to share my thoughts on this movie since I saw it, it's been weeks already and maybe my mind thought I've shared a review already. Anyways, just glad I bothered to check today and found out there's been nothing about the movie on my movie review list. This one is definitely worth watching.

"12th Fail" is a 2023 Hindi movie directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, the director behind other iconic Indian movies like "3 Idiots" which I reviewed recently. I'm yet to see other movies he has directed but these two are a good sign that he has got a lot of inspiration to give through the movies he has directed and he's going to direct.

So yeah, "12th Fail" is an inspirational movie as it tells a story based on a true story, a biography of IPS Officer Manoj Kumar Sharma and IRS Officer Shraddha Joshi. It explores the struggle of becoming, especially from a situation that looks nothing like the dream. The characters were not easy to get so they did so well in their own roles.

The story opens with a school where exam malpractice is a normal thing, where they let Manoj Sharma (starred by Vikrant Massey) and his other mates to cheat through their exams but on a particular exam day, a strict police officer DSP Dushyant Singh visits and stops the cheating process and Manoj is unable to pass.

In an attempt to make some money since he couldn't pass his 12th standard exam, he got into trouble with his brother and surprisingly, the same strict officer came to their rescue using the law. Manoj got inspired by his honesty and integrity, he vowed to become like him and he began to dream of becoming a DSP officer too.

With such a strong conviction of who he wanted to be, even though his family were so poor, he didn't expect what his destiny had in store for him as he leaves home to embark on the journey of becoming a DSP officer, a journey that brings him into the world of UPSC, one of the toughest exams in the world to pass for a higher rank.

He meets amazing friends like Pritam Pandey (starred by Anant Joshi), the love of his life, Shraddha (starred by Medha Shankr) and many others on the same journey even though with different dreams. They begin navigate life as they encounter struggles, failures and repeated setbacks until they finally achieve their dreams.

I must say, the story is an emotional one but the closing scene was more emotional and so memorable. I wouldn't want to give any spoilers but if you're a lover of movies from this director, you shouldn't skip this one. It teaches, not just entertain and I'll recommend with a good rating.