Vidhu Vinod Chopra is the director, producer, and writer of the Hindi-language biographical drama film 12th Fail, which is set to release in 2023. It is based on Anurag Pathak’s 2019 nonfiction book of the same name, which tells the true story of Manoj Kumar Sharma, an Indian Police Service officer who overcome abject poverty to become an officer.[4] Alongside Medha Shankar, Anant V Joshi, Anshumaan Pushkar, and Priyanshu Chatterjee, Vikrant Massey plays the main character in the movie.

Manoj Kumar Sharma was born in the dacoit-infested Chambal, the son of a clerk. His father, a kind man, has been suspended for striking an unscrupulous police officer. Like his classmates, Manoj gets ready for his Class 12 exams by making cheat sheets. But DSP Dushyant Singh, a recently transferred police officer, quits lying in the classroom. Consequently, every student—including Manoj—fails the test. In the meantime, his father goes to the High Court to contest his ban. To assist at home, Manoj and his brother decide to operate a traveling rickshaw. When the MLA’s local goon tries to persuade their passengers to board a bus, Manoj’s brother is falsely accused of punching him; the police officers blame him for this.But DSP Dushyant, who counsels Manoj to “stop cheating” in order to become an officer like him, helps Manoj save his brother.

After a year, Manoj gets all A’s on his examinations and decides to get a B.A. to become a DSP. As he leaves to study in Gwalior, his paternal grandmother gives him all of her savings. However, a woman robs him of all of his possessions while he is asleep in the bus. Subsequently, he finds out that the MPPSC Group I examinations would not be held for the next three years due to a government decision. His dream of becoming a DSP is dashed by this. He wanders the streets till he is on the verge of passing out, at which point a nearby hotel owner beside the train station feeds him.

There he meets Pritam Pandey, who had also come to study for the PSC exam. Pandey’s father calls him and tells him to prepare for the UPSC exam in Delhi. Manoj learns about UPSC and travels with Pritam to Delhi to study and become an IPS officer. He meets Gauri bhaiya, a fellow aspirant on his last attempt to pass, who provides Manoj with work and a place to study. Gauri bhaiya is unable to clear his final attempt and opens a coaching institute.

He has fail in 3th attempt but he has never give up and Exasperated, Gauri gives up on Manoj’s odd occupations and orders him to dedicate all of his attention to his academics after moving him into his own home. In the end, he passes the major exams, while Shraddha passes her UKPSC exams to advance to the position of deputy collector. Concurrently, Pritam—who did not pass his exams—tells Shraddha’s family that she has been having an affair with Manoj. Manoj gets furious with Pritam but discovers that Pritam was under pressure from his father to join the UPSC even though Pritam truly wants to be a reporter. Manoj counsels Pritam to defy his dad.

In the interview phase, Manoj provides truthful answers to all of the questions. In addition, he gets a letter from Shraddha inviting him to be married. When the results are announced two months later, Manoj has met the requirements to be promoted to the position of IPS officer. A year later, Manoj, who is now an IPS officer, goes to the Mandsaur police station to thank DSP Dushyant Singh for his encouragement. Shraddha and Manoj tie the knot, and Pritam starts a job as a news reporter.

When it was released in theaters on October 27, 2023, 12th Fail won praise from critics and became a sleeper blockbuster, making over ₹66.58 crore (US$8.3 million) globally on a ₹20 crore (US$2.5 million) budget. It took home five accolades at the 69th Filmfare accolades, including Best Director, Best Actor—Critics, and Best Film.