Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s latest venture ‘12th fail’ has finally been wrapped. Headlined by Vikrant Massey, the film has been the talk of the town for many reasons, mainly for being the first film to be shot in Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar, the hub of Hindi Medium UPSC preparations. The film is inspired by real-life events and encapsulates the story of aspiring IAS and IPS students. The film has been shot in Chambal, Agra, Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar, Mussoorie, and Mumbai. The team started shooting in October in various real locations and came back to Mumbai after 2 months. Everyone from the director, and actor to the cast and crew were together for these two months and share a tight knitted bond.
Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra Shared, “I have a feeling that this could be my best-performed film till date. When I started filming ‘12th Fail’, I had no idea I would end up enjoying it this much, that it would perhaps turn out to be one of my best films. Also, everyone in the crew was so young… I got to boss around kids half my age, while making a film about students. What else do I want in life?”
Talking about the film, Vikrant Massey says, “My experience on this film was phenomenal… probably the best experience I ever had. It is one of the most special stories that I am a part of… and also one of the most challenging parts that I had to play. I’m really, really excited. Working with VVC was literally coming-of-age for me. Him, the actors, the whole crew… everyone was phenomenal. One thing that I want to say is that the entire journey of the character was very personal for me… in the last 2 months of filming I have lived 6 to 8 months of my life.”
The film is shot at real locations – like Delhi’s heart, and NP boys school. The makers were adamant about shooting the film in real locations so that everything looks authentic and original, not gimmicky. Mukherjee Nagar is the perfect location to shoot the film as it is packed with real life students, hanging banners of coaching classic and seen the birth of generations of bureaucrats. The decision to shoot at real life location was a conscious decision taken by Vidhu Vinod Chopra in order to do justice to the film and its script.
Written, produced and directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, ’12th Fail’ is scheduled for a 2023 Summer release.