Did you know? As 12th Fail celebrates its National Award win, here are 5 facts you may have missed

MUMBAI: Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 12th Fail has created history by winning Best Feature Film at the 71st National Film Awards, with Vikrant Massey also bagging Best Actor. The inspiring story of resilience has touched millions — but beyond the screen, the journey of the film holds some surprising stories of its own. Here are 5 lesser-known facts about 12th Fail:

1. Zero Se Restart tells the making of 12th Fail - The journey of 12th Fail didn’t end with its release. The film’s struggles, chaos, and triumphs were all captured in Zero Se Restart, now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. This documentary gives audiences a rare chance to see the madness, the fun, and the unfiltered spirit that went into shaping this award-winning story.

2. Vidhu Vinod Chopra stepped in as director - Chopra had originally been searching for another director to bring 12th Fail to life. But when he couldn’t find anyone who connected with the story the way he envisioned, he decided to helm it himself — marking his powerful return to the director’s chair.

3. Making history at Mukherjee Nagar - Shot in Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar — India’s IAS coaching hub — 12th Fail became the first film to ever capture the area on screen. Filming amidst lakhs of aspirants brought unmatched authenticity but also turned into one of the toughest schedules for the crew, with the chaos of real-life students and locations challenging every single shoot day.

4. A story rooted in truth - The film is based on the real-life journey of Manoj Kumar Sharma, who rose from repeated failures to becoming an IPS officer. Both Manoj and his wife Shraddha placed their trust in Vidhu Vinod Chopra and the team to tell their story with honesty — a responsibility that shaped the film’s emotional core.

5. Real students, real classrooms - To keep the film’s realism intact, Chopra cast actual students in classroom sequences — from village schools to IAS coaching centres. He trained them to face the camera, often taking dozens of retakes for just one perfect shot. The effort paid off, lending an honesty to the film that critics and audiences alike celebrated, eventually leading it to National Award glory.

Zero Se Restart, the film on the making of 12th Fail, captures many more such untold stories and candid moments, giving audiences a heartfelt look at how 12th Fail went from an idea to a National Award–winning triumph