12th Fail's Vikrant Massey on prepping for his character - 'I had just semi-liquid, mashed food for almost 20 days'

One of the biggest unexpected blockbusters of the year 2023 was the film 12th Fail, directed by renowned director Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Starring Vikrant Massey and Medha Shankar, the movie was released in theaters on October 27, 2023. It has made 70 crores in revenue during its phenomenal two-month run at the Indian Box Office. 

The movie recently debuted on the OTT platform, Disney Plus Hotstar and it has garnered positive reviews both on its digital and theatrical releases.

In the film, Vikrant Massey portrays Manoj Kumar Sharma, a young Chambal boy who aspires to become a police officer which is based on an Anurag Pathak novel. For the role, the actor needed to darken his skin tone in addition to having a youthful appearance. Vidhu refrained from applying cosmetics to Vikrant Massey's skin so that he would appear to be a Chambal boy. Now, Massey revealed that he contracted a skin illness while darkening his skin.

Also read: 12th fail actor Vikrant Massey: Social media is very toxic; started affecting my mental health and my relationships | Exclusive

Massey told IndiaToday, “There is a definite reason why my character is dark. There’s a certain geography of the place where he comes from. One needs to watch the film to know if I do justice to playing a 19-year-old. That’s all I can say.”

The actor added that it's difficult to look 19 when you're 36 years old. He revealed that he lost a lot of weight for his character. He told the portal that before the shoot, he only ate semi-liquid and mashed food for over 20 days, and by the end of the shoot, he had to get his weight back.

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"It’s only Vinod Sir (Vidhu Vinod Chopra) who can do this because almost 80 per cent of the film was shot in sequence, so I had to regain the weight. It is a daunting and challenging film,” the actor added.

More about 12th Fail

Since its theatrical release, the movie has remained in theaters and has received only positive reviews from viewers and fans for its compelling story and the leading actors' performances.

Based on an actual story, 12th Fail explores the challenges faced by millions of students attempting to pass the UPSC entrance exam. However, it also motivates people to try again and not give up in the face of failure. The Vidhu Vinod Chopra-directed movie is currently running in theaters in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

Also read: 12th Fail Review: Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Latest Is A Vikrant Massey Show All The Way