12th Fail

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2:59

12th Fail

Released Oct 27, 2023

2h 27m

Biography

Drama

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Popcornmeter

91%

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11 Reviews

97%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Based on Anurag Pathak's bestselling novel of the same name, 12th Fail is a celebration of millions of students and their tireless spirit of never giving up. The film is the true story of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma hailing from a small town in Chambal -- who fearlessly embraced the idea of restarting his academic journey and reclaiming his destiny at a place where millions of students attempt for the world's toughest competitive exam: UPSC.

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Shubhra Gupta

The Indian Express

Vikrant Massey-starrer cleaves close to ground reality, with characters that makes you feel that they’ve wandered off the street, dishing out life-lessons laced with dollops of inspiration.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 27, 2023

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Leslie Felperin

Guardian

A warm, if sentimental, paean to the idea that success in India, despite endemic corruption and the caste system, can still be achieved through meritocratic means.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 24, 2023

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Jimmy Cage

Jimmy Cage Movie Reviews (YouTube)

12TH FAIL is a nicely told, touching underdog success story. Well played and technically at a high level. But it also focusses a bit too much on its inspirational note and I struggle to fully accept its message and worldview.

Rated: 7/10

Jan 24, 2024

Full Review

Akhil Arora

The Long Take Podcast

[The movie loves romanticising struggle and is] willing to glorify everything and be like keep struggling — his motto is 'repeat, repeat.' What do you mean [by] repeat? For what objective? To what end?

Jan 4, 2024

Full Review

Tatsam Mukherjee

The Wire (INDIA)

Above all, 12th Fail is a paean to Vikrant Massey’s astronomical amounts of sincerity.

Nov 10, 2023

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Pramit Chatterjee

Digital Mafia Talkies

It’s unimaginably refreshing to see Vidhu Vinod Chopra and his team go back to the basics, employ long takes, use sound design to translate the emotions on-screen, and cut between scenes in, let’s say, a poetic fashion.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 29, 2023

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jitender

It is based on real story and very motivational movie. Its great to watch with kids and family.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/30/23

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Usama I

The movie 12th Fail is good for motivation, but many things look not real. In the movie, Manoj is very smart and studies a lot for IPS exam. A person like him can easily pass some small government job test, like clerk job, and get a safe 9-to-5 office job. With that job, he can earn money and still study for IPS. But in the movie, he works in a library or in atta chakki. This is hard work, small money, and no need when he can do better. It looks like the movie is showing too much struggle just to make it emotional. Real life is different. A smart person will take some better job if he can, not choose such hard work when other options are open. That’s why the story feels more like drama than real life.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/12/25

Full Review

Jay W

Elevator pitch for this film: it is a sports movie, but instead of training for a sport, he is studying to get a job. Fair enough, a percentage of people participate in sports, but a larger percentage have to get a job. Our main character, Manoj Sharma, becomes a straight arrow of honesty. Despite everyone in his class, including the teachers, cheat, he refuses to compromise his integrity. The story follows his struggles to become an IPS officer despite his limited means. I had no idea that it required so much schooling to be a police officer. But regardless, it is hard for him, and he really wants it. Through viewing the protagonist's determination of not letting anything get in his way, you can't help but root for him. Through watching his journey, it poses the question, when you're hiring, do you want the person who is the most successful, or the one that works the hardest? My only critiques would be that the movie feels too long, and some of the relationship drama is tiring. But overall, this movie is a motivational master class. After watching it, I feel I got to do something more with my life.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/11/25

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DJ W

Very overrated. The story seemed predictable and uninteresting to me. It's not at all a bad movie, just incredibly overrated

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/19/25

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Gurpreet M

peak cinema right here

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/18/25

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Arquam K

Vikrant Messi is Great Kya Lajawab Acting ki hai inhone Highly Recommend movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/29/25

Full Review

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Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Director

Sam Mohan

Actor

Perry Chhabra

Actor

Vikrant Massey

Manoj Kumar Sharma

Medha Shankr

Actor

Anshuman Pushkar

Actor

Swatantrya Veer Savarkar

14%

91%

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Maidaan

64%

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Thalaivii

20%

64%

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Srikanth

78%

79%

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Father Stu

42%

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12th Fail: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Based on Anurag Pathak's bestselling novel of the same name, 12th Fail is a celebration of millions of students and their tireless spirit of never giving up. The film is the true story of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma hailing from a small town in Chambal -- who fearlessly embraced the idea of restarting his academic journey and reclaiming his destiny at a place where millions of students attempt for the world's toughest competitive exam: UPSC.

Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Producer: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Screenwriter: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Distributor: ZEE Studios International
Production Co: Zee Studios, Vinod Chopra Films
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: Hindi
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 27, 2023, Limited
Runtime: 2h 27m

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