- Date of Release: 13 December 2024
- Genre: Documentary
- Language: Hindi
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Zero Se Restart
Introduction
The job of a film critic has got to be one of the most cosiest in the film ecosystem, often sitting in an AC audi or in the comfort of their homes, either celebrating or dissing a film based on their personal preferences. On the other hand, filmmaking has got to be one of the most difficult processes of creativity, of having to translate every word into action, and every action into a reaction that eventually makes a scene, and a collection of scenes that make a movie (in the broadest sense). Yet, the histrionics of filmmaking cannot be discounted given the amount of obstacles that each one faces along the way. Years ago, I had watched a Hindi film Chale Chalo, a documentary involving the BTS of the magnum opus Lagaan, and I could feel every grain of effort being muscled out to put a film together that we still celebrate today. I also was witness to the documentary on Gangs Of Wasseypur, another magnum opus in its own right that managed to impress with its stories within the story of shooting the film. And so in a period where the Hindi Film Industry has been struggling (particularly in 2024), the documentary film Zero Se Restart comes as an accurate time of not only reiterating the creative process of filmmaking, keeping the corporates aside, while also doubling up as a metaphor of always having the opportunity to restart when one is at their lowest!
The Good
I have always had a fascination for documentaries that are based on films, or even on the making of films which till today is considered one of the toughest things to do in the creative lifecycle of a film project. Last year, we all had largely celebrated a small film with a big heart titled ’12th Fail’ that came in the year that had seen successes with films like Jawaan, Pathaan, Gadar 2 and later on, Animal. And hence, no one was really giving this film a chance to succeed. As things turned out, the film collected a huge fortune at the Box Office while touching a million hearts along the way. Yet, the story behind the story of 12th Fail was something that needed to be told. And the same led to the documentary Zero Se Restart.
There is something quite nostalgic and melancholic about the documentary even as it starts from the final sequence of 12th Fail before dividing this documentary into five chapters. And each chapter had its share of stories and challenges tagged to it. For one, it did expose a slight hypocrisy about the industry with respect to new makers who did not wish to touch this subject, terming it as ‘Not Exciting’. This led to the resurgence by the one stalwart who backed the project to the hilt – Vidhu Vinod Chopra. And I have time and again said that only those films would always succeed, which have perfectionists behind the camera, often guiding the crew to safety while pushing the limits of filmmaking.
The journey of the making of 12th Fail was nothing short of inspirational – right from running into roadblocks with the location, or utilizing the prowess of ‘non-actors’ in the frame, or repeatedly pushing the envelope in terms of the writing. All of these factors did contribute to the sincerity and honesty of the drama. The films today seem slightly more artificial because they aren’t shot at live locations, often resorting to VFX. And this is where 12th Fail was different, often resorting to real locations that automatically added depth to the proceedings. And the quest for these locations, which would have been a task back in the day in terms of scouting for them, is the epitome of perfection in many ways, all of which is brilliantly showcased in the drama. At the center of it was the veteran film maker Vidhu Vinod Chopra who never wished to stop while providing enough freedom to his ADs to not only polish their craft but also provide inputs creatively. The sense of security with respect to the actors, further even with the casting, was a sight to behold, in times when the corporates only wish to work with the biggest names in the business as possible. The histrionics of filmmaking here is used as a tool of celebration in this wonderfully heartfelt documentary based on a beautiful labour of work, 12th Fail.
The Not So Good
While the documentary did touch upon various facets of filmmaking like the casting on important characters, I would have wished that they closed the loop with the character of Shraddha (Medha Shankr) who was also an important cog in the fray. Apart from that, there was a little BTS highlighting the process of a song being prepared, but I also did wish that a little more emphasis could have been on the thought behind utilizing the sound to resemble the BGM of Pather Panchali, something that Vidhu Vinod Chopra had particularly highlighted during his interview spree during the release of 12th Fail. And just to close the loop, the documentary could have circled back to the last scene of 12th Fail (that was the opening scene here in Zero Se Restart), and the thought behind constructing that scene, which would have had a nice little recall value. But that said, these are nitpickings on my part.
My Final Thoughts
One of the reasons why the Hindi Film Industry has been struggling with respect to its identity is due to the interference of the corporates, and the business model of having an over-dependence on OTTs. As a result, the power center is readily handed over to these stakeholders who have no idea on the creativity part of a film. And there is begins the compromise. This is where 12th Fail was a very different film, a drama that was destined to fail if you would ask the corporates. But the reason why it worked was because it broke every stereotype in today’s times – the hero wasn’t over the top which meant Vikrant Massey was rightly chosen over a chiselled Varun Dhawan (no offence to either but it was creatively the right choice), the locations were real with little to no room for VFX which wasn’t even used to replicate people. It was cinema in the purest form from the writing to the post production without even worrying about the fate of the film at the Box Office. No wonder 12th Fail was a huge hit, and that automatically makes Zero Se Restart an inspiring documentary on the histronics of filmmaking. Another quick point is to take criticism as a constructive feedback which would be helpful in improving the filmmaking, overall. Vidhu Vinod Chopra did exactly that, by putting his inflated egoes aside and taking feedback from folks of varied fields within his team, and external to him, something that most filmmakers choose not to, while continuing to live in their bubble of delusion. The trick is to stay hungry, stay foolish!
Conclusion
Zero Se Restart is an inspiring documentary on the making of 12th Fail that highlights the magical histrionics of filmmaking packaged as a celebration of a heartfelt underdog story. This could delightfully feature in an orientation programme of filmmaking in film schools to prepare the budding filmmakers that there will be obstacles but you never must give up. Available in a theatre near you and Highly Recommended!
