12th Fail Maker Vidhu Vinod Chopra Reveals Vikrant Massey Starrer Was Rejected By Five Directors

Vikrant Massey starrer 12th Fail has received several accolades and widespread love from audiences and critics alike. While the movie performed decently at the box office, its critical reception after the OTT release garnered attention. Some even demanded a National Award for the maker and lead star Vikrant Massey. In the 14th edition of the IFP festival, Vidhu Vinod Chopra revealed a few interesting details about the film.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s directorial 12th Fail was rejected earlier?

During the event, Vidhu Vinod Chopra shared how he had to eventually come on board as the director of 12th Fail when other makers decided to distance themselves from the project. He said, “Five directors turned down 12th Fail because they thought it was bulls**t- plain, ordinary script. I’m not supposed to say it, but one of them even on various panels here today.” He further revealed, “This director came to my house, saying, ‘I’ve waited five years to be here. Every time I passed this building, I thought, this is my future.’ He named legends like Bhansali and Raju Hirani as inspirations, claiming he was finally where he wanted to be. We thought we had our director. So, I told Jas Kohli, the writer-director of Zero Se, ‘Start the film.’ But four days later, the director vanished. He eventually sent a message through someone else saying, ‘Please tell VVC, it’s not my kind of film."

Having no other resort, Vidhu Vinod Chopra himself stepped in to direct the film. The filmmaker revealed that his troubles did not stop there also. He recalled people cautioning him that 12th Fail is not his ‘type of film’ and his teaming up with Vikrant Massey would never work. He added, “My co-producer, who runs my company, said, ‘Are you crazy? You made Parinda, 1942: A Love Story. This isn’t your film.’ And when I cast Vikrant Massey, people told me, ‘No one will come to the cinemas for this. You and Vikrant? Are you serious?'” The proud director then mentioned the final result of the movie and shared, “When the film was released, predictions from industry portals said it would do just 30 lakhs in lifetime business. But 12th Fail went on to touch many, many crores. I don’t focus on business, but it was huge.”

12th Fail prequel announced

Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra recently attended the IIFA ceremony where he made a surprise announcement. The filmmaker confirmed that a prequel to 12th Fail is in the works and will be titled Zero Se Shuruwaat. The director also shared that the original cast of the movie will return to the prequel as well, raising fans' anticipation of the project. 

Vidhu Vinod Chopra has set December 13, 2024, as a tentative date of release for Zero Se Shuruwaat. 12th Fail features Vikrant Massey and Medha Shankr in the lead role. Inspired by real-life story drama, the film narrates the tale of a young man who attempts to sit for the world's toughest competitive exam: UPSC .