Vikas Divyakirti, a real-life UPSC prof, to play himself in Vikrant Massey-starrer ’12th Fail’

Mumbai: The upcoming Vikrant Massey-starrer film ‘12th Fail’, will see the real-life UPSC professor Vikas Divyakirti essaying himself on the screen.

Vikas Divyakirti is widely recognised and respected for mentoring students for the rigorous UPSC examination.

For a critical role of a teacher in the film, the director of the film, Vidhu Vinod Chopra chose a real-life professor and mentor, Vikas, who has guided countless students in their pursuit of clearing the Union Public Service Commission’s entrance exam — including the real Manoj Sharma, whose life has inspired the film.

Vikas even makes an appearance in the recently released trailer of the film, delivering a profound message to UPSC students.

He emphasises that a student’s journey should not end with getting a position in the civil services but they should strive to bring meaning to that position.

Reflecting on his experience of portraying a professor on the silver screen, Vikas said: “This is a historic occasion. Perhaps for the first time, Hindi cinema has tried to touch the pulse of Hindi society at such a deep level.”

“The story of Manoj Sharma, who became IPS despite once failing in 12th class, actually shakes every person who has accepted failure as his destiny in life. The film forces him to give himself another chance, to ‘restart’ his journey,” he added.

Based on a real story, the movie draws from the gritty struggles of millions of students who attempt the UPSC entrance exam. But at the same time, it goes beyond that one exam and encourages people to not lose heart in the face of failures, and to keep fighting.

’12th Fail’, a film by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, is set to release worldwide on October 27 in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.

–IANS