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12th Fail review
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Filmi Score
Exceptional
18 reviews
82
What the critics say
Audience Score · not yet · appears once three readers have written a review
Critics overwhelmingly praise Vikrant Massey's career-best performance in this real-life underdog drama, with several calling it a must-watch, though a few flag an over-reliant voiceover, preachy dialogue and a stretched runtime.
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12+
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Summary
12th Fail (2023, Hindi) has a Filmi Score of 82 from 18 critic reviews, is rated 12+ by Filmi (BBFC: 12A), and streams on Netflix in the US.
Based on the true story of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, 12th Fail sheds limelight on fearlessly embracing the idea of restarting the academic journey despite the setbacks and challenges and reclaiming one's destiny at a place where millions of students attempt the world's toughest competitive exam: UPSC.
Where to watchAvailability by JustWatch · some watch links pay filmi.ai a small commission; it never changes what we show or how we score.
Box office collection
₹$≈ at ₹88/$, as of 26 Oct 2026
₹70.05 CrWorldwide gross in 98 days
India gross₹66.55 Cr
Overseas gross₹3.50 Cr
As of 4 Feb 2024 · Sacnilk
view →
Cast & crew
Cast
Directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra · written by Vidhu Vinod Chopra & Jaskunwar Kohli · music Shantanu Moitra
Vidhu Vinod ChopraDirector · Writer · Editing
Jaskunwar KohliWriter · Editing
Shantanu MoitraMusic
Rangarajan RambadranCinematography
Vikrant MasseyLead
Medha Shankr
Anant Joshi
Anshumaan Pushkar
Priyanshu Chatterjee
Geeta Agrawal Sharma
Harish Khanna
Vikas Divyakirti
Sarita Joshi
Sam Mohan
Neeraj Kalra
Sonal Jha
Full crew
SoundManav Shrotriya
Production designHemant Wagh · Prashant Bidkar
CostumeMalvika Bajaj
LyricsSwanand Kirkire
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Summary
Based on the true story of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, 12th Fail sheds limelight on fearlessly embracing the idea of restarting the academic journey despite the setbacks and challenges and reclaiming one's destiny at a place where millions of students attempt the world's toughest competitive exam: UPSC.
Where to watch
Availability by JustWatch · some watch links pay filmi.ai a small commission; it never changes what we show or how we score.Not streaming yet
What the critics said
18 reviews · the critic’s own number where they gave one
Five of 18 · the critic’s own number where they gave one
Deeksha Sharma · YouTube, Hindi · rating spoken aloud · 29 Oct 2023
5/5, said on camera. Published nowhere. Watch it there →
Stated in video
Filmi’s reading 95
100
Yogi · YouTube, Hindi · rating spoken aloud · 28 Oct 2023
5/5, said on camera. Published nowhere. Watch it there →
Stated in video
Filmi’s reading 93
100
Deepa Gahlot · 27 Oct 2023
12th Fail Review: Terrific! Read it there →
Published · 4/5
Filmi’s reading 90
80
Dhaval Roy · 25 Oct 2023
12th Fail Movie Review: A top-class tale of grit and determination Read it there →
Published · 4.0/5
Filmi’s reading 90
80
Anmol Jamwal · YouTube · transcript read · 30 Oct 2023
Anmol praises 12th Fail's restrained, real-locations craft and Vikrant Massey's disappearing-into-role performance, calling it one of his favorite… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
87
Monika Rawal Kukreja · 26 Oct 2023
Kukreja calls 12th Fail a raw, honest underdog story led by Massey's career-best turn and a well-paced script, declaring it a must-watch on UPSC… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
85
Saibal Chatterjee · 27 Oct 2023
12th Fail Review: A Gentle Little Film That Stays True To Its Purpose Read it there →
Published · 3.5/5
Filmi’s reading 85
70
Shubham Kulkarni · 25 Oct 2023
Kulkarni calls 12th Fail a nuanced, brave biopic lifted by Massey's immersive performance, Moitra's score and strong cinematography, urging… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
84
L. Ravichander · 1 Nov 2023
Ravichander calls this among Chopra's better films, lauding the cinematography, editing, and Massey's unaffected performance, while noting Harish… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
82
Shubhra Gupta · 27 Oct 2023
12th Fail movie review: Vidhu Vinod Chopra film is the elixir our cynical times need Read it there →
Published · 3/5
Filmi’s reading 80
60
Sajesh Mohan · 28 Oct 2023
Mohan calls this Massey's best performance yet and praises the sound design and key emotional scenes, with only conventional editing as a mild… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
80
Sujay B M · 31 Oct 2023
Sujay finds 12th Fail a gripping, relatable true-story drama carried by a compelling Massey performance, but flags some over-the-top scenes and an… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
78
YouTube · transcript read · 27 Oct 2023
Sucharita Tyagi praises Vikrant Massey's committed performance and calls the third act genuinely moving, but flags a persistent voiceover crutch,… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
78
Anuj Kumar · 26 Oct 2023
Kumar finds the film a bit didactic and overstated, echoing 3 Idiots too closely, but calls it big-hearted and, despite the flaws, 'an important… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
78
Mayank Shekhar · 27 Oct 2023
4/5, stated in the text — not a formal rating. Read it there →
Stated in text
Filmi’s reading 74
80
Pratikshya Mishra · 26 Oct 2023
Mishra praises Massey's desperation and fire but faults the background score as repetitive, the camerawork as rushed, and some dialogue as… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
68
How this number was made. We read every review and derive a 0–100 reading from each — including where the critic printed a number, which stays first on its row, because it’s theirs. The Filmi Score is the mean of 18 readings; 9 of those rows also carry the critic’s own rating, shown beside ours. Rubric v2.1, computed 26 Oct 2026. Any critic can ask us to remove a derived reading.
PublishedStated in videoDerived by FilmiNo score
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12th Fail: quick answers
Box office, where to watch and what critics said — from the same data as the page.
What is 12th Fail's box office collection?
12th Fail has a box office collection of ₹70.05 Cr worldwide (gross), made up of ₹66.55 Cr India gross and ₹3.50 Cr overseas gross. Figures are Sacnilk's, as of 4 Feb 2024, day 98. Grosses are contested in India, and money never feeds the Filmi Score.
How much has 12th Fail collected at the box office?
12th Fail has collected ₹70.05 Cr worldwide in 98 days, as of 4 Feb 2024, according to Sacnilk.
Where can I watch 12th Fail?
12th Fail is streaming on OTT: JioHotstar (India), Netflix (the US and Canada) and Hulu (the US). Availability comes from JustWatch and is checked every Friday.
What did critics say about 12th Fail?
12th Fail has a Filmi Score of 82 (Exceptional), the mean of 18 readings of critic reviews, one per review. Readings run from 55 (Bollywood Hungama) to 95 (Filmi Indian). Every review and how it was scored is listed below.
What readers say
The Audience Score appears once three readers’ reviews have been read under the rubric — built from what people write, never from the rating numbers.
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