Based on an incredibly true story, 12th Fail follows the story of a protagonist who decides to prepare for the civil services exam after having previously failed in his 12th standard exams. Will he make it to the final cut? The story here is heartfelt and just so inspiring while consistently being laced with the right kinds of emotions that absolutely hit home! The screenplay standing at about a 140 odd minutes does pass off like a breeze while presenting the story with a touch of humour and a lot of conviction. Yes, parts of the story might seem a littke far-fetched on paper, but the beauty lies in the ability of the makers to lace it with such emotions that gently pierce your heart and make for a compelling watch.

The setting plays an important role early on in the film. The dusty landscape of Chambal, a place known for decoity, is home to the protagonist and his family who belong to a humble background. His father, the only working member of the family, does set his precedence of honesty, but this very precedence has resulted in him being fired from his job. And while the protagonist is still studying, cheating is normalized even by his school teachers(represented in a hilarious sequence wherein the whole class flunks after their teacher is arrested for aiding the same). There are grassroot issues related to the politics of the land with the only glimmer of hope being a DSP, whom the protagonist dreams of modelling his life on. But the path ahead isn’t easy especially after he decides to pursue civil services after having lost all his money in a whole new city that has its own share of challenges.

The writers throw in the standard challenges that a UPSC aspirant might encounter while adding a layer of poverty with respect to the protagonist. And they pace the proceedings with such pure emotions that you as a viewer would tend to look past the minor cliches. The fun begins when the protagonist begins his preparation while having to manage his expenses and his budding love life, all at the same time. The beauty of the drama is that the characters are presented with a layer of sincerity that almost invite you into their world. The subtle conflicts between the characters also have a sense of innocence to them that adds the required warmth to the proceedings.

You will find some uncanny similarities with the show Aspirants too but the treatment here is different which had a lot to do with the medium as well(this is a film as compared to Aspirants which is a show). The protagonist has such endearing qualities associated with him, always smiling through his difficulties and tragedies that you silently root for him to do well in the film. I remember the interval block where a confident looking protagonist exits the exam center only to later realise that he has written an essay on a totally different topic. And that made my heart sink as well, that was the impact of the drama.

Yet, the drama is inspiring in many ways given that you witness the day to day challenges of the protagonist. And you are also invested in his grit and determination while being privy to such tender moments as he restarts and raises his game towards the UPSC mains and the eventual interview. The amount of tension created in the final act is substantial enough for you to enter the jittery space with the protagonist and the final 20 minutes just hit home with the emotions despite being a little too convenient for my liking(particularly with the questions asked). But that was the limitation of the medium, but taking nothing away from the journey which was beautiful. Overall, the screenplay might be predictable but it ticks all the right boxes with the kind of emotions on display.