A biographical drama film called 12th Fail narrates the real-life experiences of IPS Officer Manoj Kumar Sharma. The film is based on the same-titled, best-selling book by Anurag Pathak. The story of the film centers on Manoj, a resident of a small Chambal town. He accepts the fact that he did not pass his twelve standard exams, but he does not back down from the challenge of resuming his studies.
The movie follows his quest to pass the UPSC exam, which is recognized as the most difficult competitive exam in the world. In the narrative, Manoj surmounts extreme poverty and social obstacles to realize his dream. He was motivated by this experience to give up lying and pursue a career in civil service.
In the Vidhu Vinod Chopra film 12th Fail, Vikrant Massey plays Manoj Kumar Sharma’s real-life story. Sharma, who was raised in the Morena district of Madhya Pradesh, India, in an extremely impoverished family, struggled academically from a young age. He received a third division in his 9th and 10th class exams but failed all subjects except Hindi in his 12th class board exams.
Sharma’s friendship with Shraddha Joshi during their school years was crucial to his life. Despite his shortcomings in school, Sharma asked Joshi to marry him. Manoj pledged to change his life if Shraddha accepted his proposal. This was the first step on his path to a profound change in both his personal and professional life.
Sharma started preparing for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) because of his dedication and Joshi’s encouragement. His route was paved with obstacles all along the way. Among the obstacles were financial difficulties that forced him to drive a tempo to make ends meet and occasionally sleep with beggars.
He was employed by a Delhi library as well. His work at the library exposed him to the writings of many well-known authors and figures, which helped him in his academic endeavors. However, on his fourth attempt at the UPSC CSE, Sharma’s persistence paid off. With an All India Rank (AIR) of 121, he was appointed as an officer in the Indian Police Service (IPS). Sharma later gained notoriety for his authoritative manner and was dubbed Singham and Simba.
Manoj Kumar Sharma is an Additional Commissioner in the Police Force who lives in Mumbai at the time of writing. Along with their two kids, he resides with his spouse, Shraddha Joshi, who works as an IPS officer. Additionally, Mr. Manoj uses his social media platform to inspire others by sharing personal and professional insights.
Vikrant Massey, who played Manoj Sharma in the film 12th Fail, said, “I was in tears so many times”.
On November 22, 2023, Vikrant Massey discussed the lasting influence that he received from portraying Manoj Sharma in the movie 12th Fail in an interview with Filmfare. He talked about how much he related to the role in the interview. The degree of the connection was that he found the character’s feelings and experiences to be very real.
Massey experienced real emotional reactions while filming because of her deep emotional investment in the role. As a result, he frequently experienced emotional moments both during and after filming scenes. In addition, Massey talked about how hard it was for him to stay emotionally detached from the character. Vinod Chopra, the director, was a huge help in guiding him through these strong feelings. Chopra’s reassuring presence gave Massey the much-needed stability he needed to recover and carry on with the filming.