Original subtitles

Mr. Sharma, let me tell you one last thing.

If Sir Edmund Hillary had not found the way,

your Sherpa would've never reached the peak.

You may go now.

Waste of time.

Such arrogance!

No time to mourn Dreams that are slain

Tears won't betray My heart's pain

No use to woe on, With a smile I'll go on

Tell fate I'll return, Tomorrow is my turn!

What happened?

Manoj?

You check. I know I won't make it.

- Manoj... - You look, I can't.

Waste of time. Such arrogance!

He's raw. He just needs training.

What do you think, Miss Qureshi?

People with noble intentions are hard to find, Dr. Mehta.

He'll be good for the image of the police force.

What about you, Mr. Yadav? You've been very quiet.

The system needs bold, honest people.

If we don't select such candidates,

what's the point of this exam?

If today I told you '12th Fail' almost never got made

would you believe me?

Probably not. But it's true.

Let me tell you the story before the story.

Beginning January 2022.

1, 2, 3, 4...

♪ Night spent scratching heads ♪

1, 2, 3, 4...

♪ Stumbling feet, no path ahead ♪

1, 2, 3, 4...

♪ Bring on some light, Dispel the night! ♪

♪ If you fight till you're able, You'll turn the tables ♪

♪ Then with all your heart... ♪

Even when this song was being composed

no one was sure this film would be made.

Because Vinod sir wrote it for some young director to make.

But when the first director read the script, he said,

"The story doesn't appeal to me."

Then a second director came and said bluntly,

"It's unoriginal and not worth my time."

♪ Restart! ♪

When the third director arrived, we were relieved.

Because he told Vinod sir,

"I've waited five years for this call. Thank you."

We thought, we found a director!

But when he read the story, he too disappeared!

Vinod sir asked us to check on him.

Four days later, we got a reply.

"Please convey that it's not my kind of story.

"Sorry!"

♪ Back to zero? Start again ♪

The fourth director said, "I'm not into poverty stories,

"but I'd love to make 'Munna Bhai 3!'"

VVC began wondering if the script was weak.

So he called a journalist for help

who was from the region our story was based in.

But when he read the script,

he hated it so much

that he left without saying a word.

♪ Keep moving on! ♪

Now Vinod sir had to ask himself,

had he wasted the last three years?

Because no one believed in 12th Fail.

♪ Nights spent scratching heads ♪

I told sir directly...

There's nothing unique about this story.

An ordinary man, struggles, and emerges victorious.

Everyone has such a story.

And maybe that's why those directors felt this story was unoriginal.

That's when he said to me...

"Precisely... that's why this film should be made.

"Because it's everyone's story."

♪ Restart! ♪

And so we set out to hunt for locations.

Eight months to go.

Seven months...

Six months...

And in these remote towns we hunted for local, authentic actors.

But despite all this 12th Fail is still without a director.

While one team was busy scouting locations,

another team was busy casting.

In this whole process, we kept changing drafts, we kept rewriting.

We kept writing and writing... New scenes, old scenes...

good scenes, bad scenes.

Out of frustration, I said, sir, we'll keep rewriting.

We've been doing this for two years. We need to get a director on board.

I remember the very next day, he came to office,

he invited all of us and he said,

"I'm clarifying because there are clearly some doubts.

"I have decided to direct this film."

Are you directing this film?

This is not-- You cannot do this.

Because it's not his kind of film at all.

No murder.

No blood.

No thrill.

Eklavya!

No drama.

♪ No words left to say No words at all ♪

I said, Vinod, this is not your film.

♪ Night spent scratching my head ♪

There's nothing in this film that is you.

♪ But I see no way ahead ♪

It needs a young guy with so much hunger in his belly.

♪ If you fight till you're able, You'll turn the tables ♪

Vinod said, "Listen, I have to make this film.

"This film is so much in my blood now.

"The only way I can get it out is I go ahead and make the film."

♪ Restart! ♪

♪ Say it loud! ♪

♪ Restart! ♪

♪ Restart! ♪

- One take? - Got it. Got it!

Clapping?

I did. This is soundproof.

You can't hear.

This is our singing debut, man.

You better shoot this well.

Get a bigger camera!

Now that we'd finally found a director,

the art team presented their plans

which were crucial.

Because the first scene had eight characters.

A rifle, a jeep,

a bicycle

and a lot going on.

But thanks to these sketches,

we were able to divide this complex scene into 24 simple shots.

And then, we set out for the final recce.

Where all this planning went down the drain.

Because there had been a tiny misunderstanding.

It was a disaster!

The footage they showed me was all wrong.

Not what you thought...

A total disaster, I tell you!

First, they took me to Agra.

Three hours by air. Then three hours by road...

deep into a jungle.

In Chambal.

The moment we got there,

I was screwed.

You know, my biggest problem was,

that village was imprinted in my mind.

But when I walked up,

I knew something was very wrong.

Nothing made sense!

Initially, sir was silent.

And when he spoke...

I want you to check...

He asked, "Am I cracking up?"

...if I am cracking up.

See, Prashant...

What has happened...

I'll tell you what has happened, actually.

I thought the house was here and the village was behind it.

Everything was clear.

You know what has happened, guys?

The pictures that you have... and Jas Kohli, you look at it.

Because I want to know whether I'm still sane.

These pictures... are there like this. I've seen these pictures.

- Yes? - Yes.

Because I have not seen a single picture

which is from here to here.

I have seen these pictures

and I always thought that this is behind the house.

Look, this is the house.

I thought the village was behind it.

And here, the path to the village.

So I conceived all the shots accordingly.

When I got there...

I saw the village isn't here, but there.

F**k! The village had shifted!

I didn't know what the f**k to do!

I had almost given up.

I'm completely screwed.

All my planning is useless.

Restart. From zero.

He changed everything, saying, "Not here, but there."

I'm never going to show this.

We're never going to show that.

That I will never show.

This is what I will show.

This is the master shot, Jassi.

"I won't accept defeat, I'm not that easy to beat..."

I'll have to sit somewhere and rethink everything.

Sir's spontaneity on location...

Scene happens here. That is your kitchen.

Someone go and become the stairs.

Manav, move back a little.

He positioned everyone

to demonstrate the angle of the stairs.

Steep steps. So the frame...

40 degree heat.

38-40 degrees. I got blisters on my head.

In that state, I reconceived everything.

After reconceiving everything he made us rehearse

each one of those 24 shots.

"What did you think?

"You'll insult our boss and walk away scot-free?"

"What did he do now?"

"Didn't he tell you? He's been suspended."

"I've brought his suspension letter."

- Then? - Jeep arrives.

Not yet. First, he runs for the rifle.

"Kamlesh! Get your grandfather's rifle."

Meanwhile, Kamlesh points the rifle at Sundar.

Keep going. What's next?

Then the flashback begins.

The entire shot division is in my head.

"Hey, Ramveer!"

But I slowly understood...

"Don't use a shoe."

...that the original plan sucked!

"Use a bullet!"

Grandmother, the police!

I slowly understood

that in this film, the camera is like a fly on the wall.

Watching.

The camera is like a person,

watching everything.

"Don't use a shoe. Use a bullet!"

What I've understood, Jassi,

while talking to Ranga... is the texture of this film.

Didn't he tell you? He's been suspended.

The idea is simple...

we will not guide the viewer with a shift-focus.

Not in this film.

Don't ever leave me. Promise.

This movie should not say - Yogesh... and look here.

- Am I making sense, guys? - Absolutely.

Reconceived it all.

All I am trying to do

is make this film look as if it is actually happening.

Everyone ready?

Hence, the single shot.

Restart.

Rolling!

- "Here's your suspension letter." - "I won't accept it."

"Kamlesh! Get your grandfather's rifle."

- "He thinks he can suspend my son!" - "I'm just doing my duty."

"Prepare to do God's duty instead."

"How dare you suspend my son?"

- "Please hear me out!" - "Out with it."

"He hit our boss with a shoe. Twice!"

"Hey, Ramveer! Why use a shoe?"

"Use a bullet!"

"Grandmother, police!"

Come on, Ranga. Run!

"He refused the notice. And they fired at me."

"His father gave his life for this country,

"while you're looting it."

"Just put up the notice."

Ramveer, don't spare them.

Your father gave his life for this country. Don't forget.

And that's how the misunderstanding,

our big hurdle, became our biggest strength.

A complex 24-shot scene was now...

1 single shot.

Prashant looks thrilled with the scene.

[Restart From Zero]

Even if I die tomorrow, they have the shot division.

I've shot-divided the whole film.

I've never done that.

- It's all done. - No wonder they praised you.

It's unbelievable, because I didn't know how to shoot this film!

Sit there.

There's no killing, no murder, no bomb, nobody dies...

What is this film?

Listen carefully!

Throw away your cheat sheets.

I'll write the answers on the board.

And you morons just copy them.

Then it became clear.

Establish the school.

The first scene - exam is on.

They see the policeman. This is the shot.

What? No cheating?

Don't worry.

The camera moves forward.

Then it turns right, catches them in frame.

What's going on here?

Same shot, camera turns to see the Principal.

It's an age-old tradition, Deputy sir.

You are our esteemed guest. Welcome!

Then, as they walk out...

Come.

Cut... to frontal angle.

What do you think, Deputy sir?

Can any of these dullards

become engineers, doctors, or officers like you?

Never.

Now, the camera is here.

That's the Mayor calling.

Hello? Mayor sir?

Yes, DSP Dushyant is here. Here, speak to him.

The Mayor.

- Is everybody happy? - Yes, sir.

Everybody happy with this? You're happy?

You're happy?

- Shall I switch off my mind? - No.

What now?

Just a logistical question.

How full is the classroom?

For this I'll switch off.

- Shall I? - Okay.

- Off. Give me water. - Tell me.

- That's easy, Kunal. - Then tell me!

Done?

Done?

Now give me my fee.

This is my first real earning.

Keep track. I'll take it from everyone.

This isn't some free lecture.

You all keep learning. I get no Guru-dakshina.

First fee from the first student.

I expect it from everyone.

Sir, whenever you're up, we'll go inside.

Imagine you end up paying me more than your salaries.

Then you're f**ked!

Dushyant sir!

"I need to meet him."

Dushyant sir!

"Dushyant sir!"

What a brilliant dog!

Namaste, Papa. I'm-- "I'm on the train."

Manoj was ecstatic.

But as we entered Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar...

he was totally screwed.

Now I get what I'm doing.

The camera's perspective is of the village boy.

It's Manoj's state of mind.

His first time in a big city.

He's looking everywhere, totally lost.

Because the whole camera

is Manoj's state of mind.

As Manoj becomes smarter,

the camera also evolves.

And in the climax,

the camera is steady.

Because Manoj has matured... so has the camera.

Yes, please sit.

Are you feeling okay?

Am I making sense or am I talking some shit?

No, it's interesting.

I'm also trying--

Camera will become sophisticated with Manoj.

With Manoj!

That's the beauty of it!

That everything is his state of mind, including the way the camera moves.

He walks out of frame. You get it?

We're left behind.

The camera is left behind,

because he's rushing to the girl.

Camera moves right to left.

Imagine a reverse dissolve.

Do you see what I see? A long reverse dissolve.

He walks right to left, but camera dissolves left to right

and then we see reflections

of Mussoorie, of himself, his shadow.

Then his real self. Three images of Manoj.

His fragmented state of mind.

You get what I'm saying what'll happen?

His state of mind will be represented by the camera.

So here, he's so eager to reach her

that he actually leaves me behind.

That's how I'm looking at it.

Sir.

- What? - 20 bucks.

- Now? - Yes, now.

- For what you learned now? - Yes.

I got real cash for the first time.

Sir, but I gave you 200.

- That was you? - Yes.

That's a big amount. This is my first 20.

Suresh, take this. Keep it safe.

For when I retire.

I'll use these kids' money then.

We thought after all this

we'd go check out Mussoorie.

Hang out a little...

Try good food...

And just chill.

Everyone, sit.

But then sir said,

"Everyone, sit."

Now, any questions...

Kunal, all questions that need to be asked...

Prashant, anything you need to ask Kunal...

Ranga, anything...

anybody has any confusions,

now is the time.

Shoot begins on the 15th.

I'll make the schedule...

But this meeting went on for five hours.

Give rice and dal to whoever wants to eat out.

Before we suffer rice and dal in this meeting...

Don't record this!

Come, let's go back to zero.

Two years ago...

when this journey began.

Have you read this book, Kamna ji?

'12th Fail'.

I'm adapting it into a film.

Here, look...

He's the author.

This is Kamna ji,

she wrote 1942 - A Love Story with me.

Okay. Namaste, ma'am.

I've seen many of your interviews.

You were once asked, "How did you survive working with sir?

"Wasn't it frustrating?"

I'd tell him, one day you praise my scene

the next day you trash it.

This happens all the time.

I said, this can't go on. Enough, I'm tired!

He said, "If you get emotionally attached to your scene

"how will the story evolve?"

Don't get emotionally attached to your writing.

Be objective.

This is the story of those two years of Covid

when the world was in lockdown.

Yes, tell me.

- Shraddha wants to greet you. - Namaste, sir.

Don't forget us once you're celebrities. Everyone's worked really hard.

Show me Morena village. Turn the camera around.

Sir, this is where I grew up.

I was just telling Abhishek,

we still have these old bulky TVs here.

Sir, this is my mother.

Namaste.

- It was wonderful to meet you all. - Please continue, sir.

- Hello sir, my name is Vikas. - Hello, I'm Abhijat, how are you, sir?

I'm fine, sir. I've heard a lot about you.

I've also heard a lot about you.

I'm in the company of great men!

Please go on.

Sir, I'd read the script in seven parts.

I was a little disappointed with the script, as I mentioned.

On hearing the word "disappointing"

VVC dug out a big problem in the film.

Shraddha, my mother is toiling alone in the village.

My father is away fighting corruption in court.

People like us will never win.

My brother is a daily-wager in a distant village.

You know what? The problem is Manoj's voiceover.

It's too damn whiny.

The problem is Manoj is too whiny.

Right, right.

Sir, who wants a whiny film? The film has to be cheerful.

There's no other way!

So Manoj's voiceover will never work...

And that is how Pandey became the narrator.

[Pandey] Look at Manoj!

He thinks he can crack India's toughest exam

and become an IPS officer.

The film has changed!

Totally changed!

Then co-producer, Yogi sir, read the script.

What did you think, Yogi?

I was not very impressed.

Then make notes.

VVC became obsessed.

- Began asking everyone... - Let's come back to the script.

Tell me how can I make it better? What is it that's not good?

The casting team was busy scripting.

While the scripting team was busy casting.

Abhishek, as we were discussing...

and I think Vikas sir agrees,

we need Varun Dhawan [a film star] for this film.

But Varun Dhawan is busy for five months.

We won't be ready in five months, anyway!

You're right.

Jassi, better the film be two months late,

and run in theaters three months longer.

Varun Dhawan will mean increased reach and popularity.

He has done good work whenever challenged.

Not just good, he's done outstanding work!

But hear me out. Our film has three stages.

First stage...

Look at village kids, then look at Varun Dhawan.

Not a fit. He'll stand out.

Second stage...

He'll look like a film star amidst struggling students.

And the third...

He'll be brilliant... absolutely perfect as a cop.

But in the first two stages, we'll look like idiots for casting him.

Wrong casting!

After that, sir got Covid.

But nothing stopped.

- Sir, we want to narrate a scene. - Yes, go ahead.

Manoj is running on the street, mad passion on his face.

Running in the dark.

"He had promised her,

"but had no idea how to live up to it.

"So he knocks on a door."

Deep sir knows me. He knows me!

Deep sir, I'm Manoj.

Who?

Manoj, sir. I got you coffee, remember? You'd said--

Oh... Manoj!

- Tell me. - Sir, I need your help.

It's my last attempt.

Not now. Manoj, I'm very busy--

Please, sir. You had said, you owe me.

Very nice. I loved that "you owe me" line.

I have two small corrections.

Even down with Covid, he never said,

"Very good, I have no corrections."

"Sir, I can always clear the Prelims." Remove the 'always'.

I can clear the Prelims, but not the Mains.

He got rid of every extra word,

saying, "Dialogues should sound real."

"You just have to tick the right box."

Rote learning works for Prelims. You just have to check the right box.

Bye, guys.

Goodnight. Well done, everybody, one more time.

Same to you, sir.

And this became our life

day in and day out, for months.

"Remove this."

"Add that."

Our brains were fried.

We sent VVC a new script everyday

with all changes marked in red.

And every day he sent them back with scribbles all over.

Every day, man!

Oh my God!

It is too much, bro!

Got an option?

- It's too much. - Too much is happening.

Amidst this chaos, we started finding our film.

[Stop cheating... that's all.]

Sir!

Sir, I want to be like you.

What should I do?

Stop cheating... that's all.

Sir!

Then he looks at him.

And says, "You don't recognize me?"

And what's the next line?

He says...

Wait, now I remember!

The first dialogue he says is...

- "I stopped-- " - "I stopped cheating, sir."

"I stopped cheating." Yes, of course!

What? What was that?

What a thing to say!

We see him as an officer for the first time, and he says,

"Sir, I stopped cheating."

Wow! Wow, man!

I stopped cheating, sir.

The moment we finished, we narrated the script...

to IPS Officer Manoj and IRS Officer Shraddha.

Good.

Can you see the 3-4 years of work?

Absolutely.

She's in tears!

How wonderful.

I'm so happy for you, Shraddha.

So happy for you.

Come, let's have lunch.

And right there was Vikas sir

with the hero of our film, Mr. Vikrant Massey.

I promise you, I'll not let you down.

We won't let you let us down.

Vikrant and VVC's first encounter was quite interesting.

He said, "Sir, it's been my dream to work with you."

I said, I curse and yell if you don't give your best.

He said, "Honestly, I haven't given my best yet.

"I haven't really been challenged.

"But felt challenged when I heard you're directing."

He told Raju, "I'll take a year off to work with him."

With this level of commitment,

great things can happen.

Correct.

By the time we met Vikrant, two years had passed.

Covid was over.

And we set out for that recce you've already seen.

All done?

Now give my fee.

Where VVC got his first earning.

This is my first real earning.

Where we had our five-hour-long meeting.

Give rice and dal to whoever wants to eat out.

Yes, the same meeting.

Don't record this!

Anyway...

Kunal, you lead this discussion.

Shoot starts from the 15th.

- How many days do we shoot? - I won't tell you just yet.

It's a secret.

This is what happens in the movies.

In the middle of this jungle.

Here, look at our many cars, generators...

This is our little kingdom in the middle of a jungle.

Guys, we are in Chambal. Look at our location.

Pan the camera. Show them.

Sir was giving his family a tour of Chambal

while beside him, I thought, this film almost never happened...

- First day of shoot, finally. - Finally!

With a director who never intended to direct it.

I will break the coconut!

Hail Lord Ganpati!

Don't use a shoe.

Use a bullet. Kamlesh, shoot him!

1, 2, 3, fire!

Grandmother, police!

Look! Look at the location!

Look at Hari, our security. Look at the sun.

Look at the river. Show the crew.

Look, look...

Look at Delhi's Taj Mahal...

Okay, cut it now.

- Delhi has a Taj Mahal? - It's a childhood joke.

And action!

Come back a big police officer.

Your grandfather would be proud to see you in uniform.

She kept this money from your mother

to give to you.

Think.

And then think about what will happen there.

When it's all gone.

When you say, "What will I tell grandmother...

"I've lost everything?"

This is the moment you'll remember. Very nice.

For a first day, this was a great first day. Thank you.

- Best first day at work in my entire life. - Are you serious?

In 18 years, I've not had a better start.

Tell my wife.

Now I'm doing what you didn't let me do in New Zealand.

I'm driving on a highway! Going home after a hard day's work.

Good morning, Anu. Going to Chambal to shoot.

Lovely sunrise!

You did so well!

The way you softly said, "Grandmother", which I didn't hear

and the way you held him was totally unbelievable!

Unbelievable!

- This will make you immortal. - Don't embarrass me!

What a performance!

Solar eclipse, solar eclipse!

From Chambal!

Look at that.

Wow!

Show them where we are. In the middle of Chambal.

Look at this. Where are we? In the middle of a jungle.

Tying a rope because our vehicle has given up.

Go, go, show them...

Our jeep broke down in the middle of the jungle.

The team was trying to tow the vehicle.

We were totally screwed and VC said...

"Jassi, record a video and send it to my family."

Look at this, guys, we're in the middle of a jungle,

full of leopards and God knows what all.

Camera and actors are there. The shooting vehicle.

That's from where I control the camera.

We're having fun, man!

Excellent! Good day, I want to put it on record.

Two of the best actors I've worked with. Really.

Excellent!

Really excellent!

Let's clap for Pushpa.

Pushpa!

I don't want her to leave.

I really don't.

Even at this age I enjoyed working so much.

I'm signing another film with him.

Thank you.

That's a wrap for her! She's going.

She'll come back in the next movie.

Thank you so much.

Look, this moon is fake. It's not real.

Look carefully.

Anyway, happy birthday to you.

This is my crew.

We've wrapped up in Chambal. Back to Agra now.

Happy birthday one more time.

- The village is done. - Yes.

Then shift to Agra. Correct?

First, we'll start at the agriculture office.

I'll mind my tongue. You mind my shoe.

Why're you scared? You're hitting here and there. Hit him!

You mind my shoe!

Fantastic hit!

Next in Agra... is the school.

Film shoot in our school today!

Move back!

Fall in line!

No phones out. I'll confiscate any phone I see.

Nobody moves.

We had one request for the kids...

- I promise to... - I promise to...

- not look into the camera. - not look into the camera.

Okay, roll camera!

- Sound, camera. - I won't look.

And action!

How many chits did you get?

VVC's stubbornness to use real school kids instead of actors

came to bite him in the ass.

I repeat, don't look into the camera.

Mount camera!

Master,

But then...

what kind of question paper is this?

Get up, boy.

Don't look into the camera all wide-eyed.

Go outside. Have a good look.

Four people looked into camera!

Why? What do you expect to see?

Will a fairy emerge from it? Or a parrot pop out?

Hey, he looked into the camera. Cut!

- You looked into the camera.

- Me? - Yes. And you laughed.

I'm losing it now. Better not look again.

Everybody say...

Everyone take a pledge.

How do you guys take a pledge?

Like this?

- Now repeat, I solemnly swear... - I solemnly swear...

You be louder!

- I won't look into the camera. - I won't look into the camera.

- At all! - At all!

There's a new system this year.

I'll write all the answers on the board.

And you morons just copy them down.

- Fantastic system! - The first answer.

Cut! Very nice job.

Well done. A round of applause!

God is merciful!

God is great!

God is merciful!

God is great!

God is merciful!

God is great!

Once more, with me!

Watch this.

God is merciful!

God is great!

We’re all singing for you from Mussoorie...

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you!

In the middle of intense shoot discussions

and a lot of yelling,

everyone is relieved to sing for you.

One last time! We'll all say...

- Happy birthday! - Happy birthday!

- Thank you. - Alright, bye-bye.

Thank you, bye.

Yes, tell me.

We shot in Chambal for five days.

After that, three days for the police station, school...

Next, comes the eatery.

The 'bus stand-train terminus'...

I'll tell you the things I'm stressed about.

I'm slightly stressed about that eatery.

Actually there's nothing else I'm stressed about.

[The Eatery]

As we came to the city, we needed three locations.

A bus stand, where Manoj's bag gets stolen.

An eatery, where he meets Pandey.

What do we do now?

And a railway station, from where both leave for Delhi.

Hurry up.

So the stress was to find an eatery

that was close to both, a bus stand and a railway station.

Now over six months we changed many actors.

But one thing never changed...

[Eatery scene rehearsals with various actors]

...which was, our idea of what an eatery looks like.

We even made our actors rehearse in small spaces

because we thought eateries are always small!

We must've seen, I don't know how many eateries.

Wherever we went scouting, we were looking for an eatery.

And in the script, it was always called "Eatery".

We could not have anything too elaborate because

Manoj Sharma who does not have any money in his pocket,

he would go to a very ordinary, small eatery...

where he'd request the manager, "Give me food, I'll work for you."

"Can I have some food? I'll work for you."

Anyways, I didn't tell anyone... but I'd already seen 100-200 photos.

and I was having nightmares...

because the shoot was near and there was no eatery.

Just before the shooting, maybe... 2-3 weeks before the shoot,

I'd gone scouting to Mussoorie.

And I made a stopover in Dehradun.

[Eatery]

I saw the bus station in Dehradun.

I immediately sent the video to Vinod.

Hi, Yogi.

He always calls within 30 seconds.

"Where's this? It's perfect! Just what I need.

"Exactly what I had in mind. Let's do this. Finalize this."

- Alright? - Yes.

And yet, you know, working with Vinod...

Everything is final... but nothing is final.

Every day he finalizes the script and next morning he reopens it.

There's at least three times more of this in storage.

These are all scripts! Versions of 12th Fail.

We had found the eatery, but we were still looking for an eatery.

We were in Agra,

en route to some location.

I looked to the left and saw a flash of something.

Just a glimpse.

It turned out to be an old train station.

Yogi sir took VVC's entire stress away.

He found the railway station,

the eatery...

and bus stand, all in one place.

VVC was so thrilled

he got there the very next day and said...

"Change the script. Delete 'Eatery'.

"And write 'Railway Canteen'."

I'll tell you what to do.

Instead of Eatery call it the Railway Canteen.

Just call it Railway Canteen.

Make two, three stalls.

One here... one there.

The location was great except...

it was totally run down.

Just a shell. Nothing inside.

Now, let me play this character.

- "Yes, Papa ji." - Namaste, Papa ji. I'm on...

"I'm on the train.

"I'm on the train. Yes, bye."

A train pulling in would be awesome.

So we found out, real trains do come there.

There were only two trains in the whole day.

One at 8:30 am, one at 2:30 pm.

Cue me as the train comes.

I'll start rolling the shot.

Matching the timing will be practically difficult.

No, we'll take the last shot first.

And do the whole scene later?

It's not a problem.

I'll give him the perfect cue. But we won't get a retake.

What if an insect flies into the actor's eye?

Hundred reasons it can go wrong.

Hundred reasons can make a shot wrong.

That's my concern. We won't get a retake.

Why do you think we won't?

We will get a retake!

The next day at 2:30.

We come back just for that?

Listen, man...

Do me a favor tonight.

Friendly favor.

Watch the camel scene in Eklavya.

I've seen that, sir. It'll restrict us.

Hundred camels. One train.

No possibility of a f**king retake.

We don't need a retake, my actors are well prepared.

Just cue me as the train comes.

Sure, we'll give you perfect timing.

Keep people on standby with walkie-talkies.

Now our challenge? To time the shot with the train.

And Prashant's challenge... to make an incredible set.

That police station you made?

I want it like that. It was brilliant.

Wasn't it?

I want that.

Hello, Mr. Prashant! Are you happy I gave you extra time today?

This artwork is kickass.

Great find.

Compared to all those eateries, this is brilliant.

Hi Zuni! This is my Harry Potter watch.

The train in Harry Potter leaves at 11.

So at 10:15 people are coming to the station.

This is a set I have made.

It's reminding me of you, my love. Bye-bye!

You guys are so advanced now.

It took a week to build the set.

Crowds gathered.

Buses arrived.

A fake bus stand was created.

And hundreds were called in to fill the railway station.

And just like that, a small scene...

turned into the biggest.

It was my first day of shoot since sir was shooting linearly.

So for me, it was the first day on set

and it was my birthday.

And in many ways,

it was so...

like... symbolical and metaphorical.

My birthday, birth of Pandey, the first day of Pandey on set.

And...

also, the scale of the location was huge.

High energy, everyone!

It's a real, functioning station.

Trains are going from behind.

And being there with so many artists, working together,

main artists, background artists,

everybody working together and sir...

keeping his eye on every single person.

Talk softly.

So there...

Yes, I did get a little lost in that whole surrounding.

So I think I lost that endearing quality of Pandey

that Vinod sir fell in love with.

And behind the monitor he kept on telling Jassi,

"This is not Pandey."

Just keep watching him, Pandey.

Stop eating your food, now look at him.

And I could hear it. I'm like... okay!

So, this... I'm not...

I'm not doing it right.

There were a lot of voices in my head.

Only two trains.

We won't get a retake.

We'd talked to the Station Master.

When it was ten minutes for the train, he informed us.

When you hear "background action", run.

Make it quick! Quick!

Run, run, run!

But, he came to me

and he said...

"Look, you are doing very well."

And this is...

And I'm... quoting him when he said that...

This is the first and the last time any producer or director

will ever say something like this.

Because he came to me and said, "Look, I have enough money.

"If you need this set tomorrow again, I'll give it to you.

"But just give me honesty in your eyes."

- Understood? - Yes, sir.

He's not about what physical comedy I can do.

How can I make Pandey look very nice and everything.

He's all about the eyes.

So that...

pulled me back to Pandey, I guess.

- Are you kidding me, man? - No. When is the next train?

There was a possibility for only one take.

And...

Background action!

- "This guy was nuts." - This guy was nuts.

My gut warned, "Pritam Pandey, walk away."

Take me along!

But before I could, I blurted out...

Okay.

But on one condition. I pay for your meal.

Give me the change.

Hurry!

And...

and we got it.

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday, dear Pandey ji!

Happy birthday to you.

- To the birth of Pandey. - To the birth of Pandey.

- To you first. - Thank you, sir.

To the creator of Pandey.

Feed the real-life Pandey!

Real-life Pandey.

If you were not there, he would not be here.

As we had cake, it struck me...

if Yogi sir had given up looking,

he'd never have found this station.

If Vinod sir was stuck to his ideas,

'Eatery' would never become 'Railway Canteen'.

See this shot, Ranga.

Then I got what VVC meant,

"Always keep an open mind. Anything can happen!"

Like this hungry dog that walked into our shot.

Dog sound episode.

That is epic.

- Did you get the dog to walk in? - The dog walked in on its own.

Sir decided that on location.

- Can it walk in again? - Yes, but the same movement...

We can try.

We sprinkled some food.

And as if on cue,

the dog walked in.

That dog sound became the state of mind of Manoj.

And we used that idea throughout the film.

[Dog barking]

No one wants to be with losers. [Lonely dog barking]

[Joyful barking]

Quiet!

[Dog whimpering]

Cut. Taken.

Moving on.

Interesting.

Every day was a new challenge.

Like while shooting this scene,

junior artists kept looking into camera.

Don't look into camera!

Kunal was tired of screaming.

That's when VVC had an idea.

Use one camera hand-held and one iPhone.

He told the artists...

You want to look into the camera?

Then look. Everyone look!

And shout...

Morena, Jaura, Bilgaon!

This led to the birth of a scene

that was never in the script.

Manoj's nightmare scene.

I kept this money from your mother

to give to you.

Your bag is gone.

Now go.

And finally...

this railway station became a gateway for Manoj

between his old life

that he leaves behind

and a new life...

he's headed towards.

After the Agra schedule

we reached Delhi, Mukherjee Nagar.

As a warm up round... the shot was from inside.

Roll camera.

Vikrant was on the balcony.

And Neelu, move the camera.

This was like a trial shoot for us.

Slowly, Neelu.

Go back.

We're indoors, so it's under control.

But it's Mukherjee Nagar, after all.

Keep going.

Don't stop, keep going.

We wanted to check how tough it'd be to shoot here.

Keep going till the minimum focus.

And we were...

blown!

Sorry.

Anyway...

our shot was indoors, thankfully.

As per the script, Manoj is looking at the people...

The huge number of people! He's overwhelmed.

So, the numbers were working out for us.

But the problem was everyone had smartphones.

In the year depicted in our film, smartphones didn't exist.

And cut!

I think we got the shot.

How was it? Playback.

Vinod sir had accepted that we'd need VFX.

After we got our 'okay' take,

I requested him, sir, I want to try something.

Just give me one more take.

Neelu, start slowly.

My team was standing downstairs on the road

trying to manage the crowd.

I told them to move the crowd back 50 steps.

Move back!

Move!

We began filming that take.

Pandey ji...

Pandey ji, go out of frame.

I was just trying my luck, I didn't know if it'd work or not.

Move to the left.

Then I told my team, release the crowd.

So everyone holding up smartphones

rushed forward.

As they rushed forward, they lowered those phones

and started walking towards the shooting.

That is what made that shot come alive.

In that chaos, I remembered something.

We were here just a month ago.

Everyone had warned sir...

that bringing Vikrant here will mean trouble.

But VVC asserted bluntly...

Not one person will recognize Vikrant Massey.

They are your fans, sir.

I thought no one will recognize you.

You turned out to be a star!

Oh, shit!

Now, Delhi will be tricky.

Word will spread and thousands will land up.

Move! Move!

The next day will be f**king worse.

Behave like students, for God's sake!

Much, much worse!

And it was.

Hooligans broke into the set.

What is this?

But VVC put the hooligan in his place.

Bloody scoundrel!

Don't you dare test me, I'll bury you right here, m****f**ker!

What's your name, a**h***?

What's his bloody name? Get him arrested.

Just take this f**ker away!

Just take him away!

Call the cops!

Where are the cops? Take him away.

I was screwed. How the hell do we shoot?

Lock him up!

"Powerful are those, who can curb their anger."

Not me, man!

Lock him up.

It's disastrous to shoot in such conditions.

That's why no one has tried shooting in Mukherjee Nagar before.

What are the shots there?

Pandey's flat.

Gauri's flat.

He's been around for eight years.

Cyber cafe.

Restart!

Restart!

Tanya's terrace.

Here, boy. Good timing.

- Coffee? - Sir, he's a student.

Restart tea stall.

Tomorrow is the Prelims.

But nothing to worry.

A to Z Coaching.

Vikas sir's coaching.

Sit.

These are the main areas there.

- And the street? - And the street.

- Too much to do in Delhi. - Too much.

- We're there for more than a month. - F**k.

More than 30 days of shoot is in Delhi.

Good morning!

Good morning!

Good morning! How are you, Captain?

Where's Mehra?

Let's all sing to him. Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you!

Happy Birthday, dear Mehra.

Happy birthday to you!

- Good morning, everybody. - Good morning.

Let me tell you a joke.

I was shooting1942 - A Love Story, Vikas sir.

In Dalhousie, I liked a house to shoot in.

I finalized that house. It belonged to a Mr. Khanna.

No. It was Mr. Khurrana.

Now when I went to shoot...

I, Binod Pradhan and Renu Saluja... couldn't find that house.

I was wondering, where's the house?

Suddenly, we hear Mr. Khurrana, "Mr. Chopra!"

I asked, "Where has your house gone?"

He said, "I fully renovated it for your shoot."

So don't over-dress.

Don't be like Mr. Khurrana.

Don't come dolled up like a film star.

Just be yourself. Look like students.

We'd worked with real students before.

And we only had that one problem.

And Mukherjee Nagar had thousands of students.

If they looked into camera, we'd be done for.

Guys, please don't look into the camera.

No one looks into the camera.

Action!

Clap.

I must tell you...

Clap.

And I honestly want to say this...

This is one of the best crowd scenes I've handled.

I'm so worried about the looks

and none of you look at the camera.

So hats off to you!

Amidst the applause, Kunal suggested to sir,

"Let's take them to the cyber cafe as well!"

Cyber cafe?

And at midnight they were told...

Everyone to report early morning at 5:30.

Calm down!

Hi, my name is Basu. I work in LA, in Hollywood.

And this is mind-blowing.

All these hoardings, all these billboards are theirs.

They've got 1200 people over here.

They've shut down entire neighborhoods.

I cannot even imagine...

No one look into the camera.

I cannot even believe

what it'd take to mount this production in Hollywood.

Raise your hands if you heard me.

In ten minutes I want to roll.

Today is insane.

Can I?

Can I?

I'll definitely pass next time.

Brother!

I need your phone to tell Ma the news.

- What? - I cleared it!

My Manoj has cleared it!

This is your 'restart'!

You've been in these shabby clothes for a year.

"Manoj, buddy..." Grab him like this.

"I'll take care of him. He's my friend, not yours!"

Congratulations, buddy!

You've been in these shabby clothes for a year.

I'm gonna buy you new clothes.

He's cleared his Prelims. It's no small feat!

Way to go, buddy!

Thank you, guys. It's a pack up!

Gauri Bhaiya.

Restart!

Restart.

Restart!

So we were shooting Gauri's scene.

The one where he gets angry...

Bring the scooter.

The scooter, quick!

All clear! Get ready!

I saw your test and I thought I'd tell you.

It's not as good as I expect it to be.

"Amazing!

"Congratulations."

You were very stiff.

But at certain moments...

you smiled.

And your smile is magical.

VVC was fond of this Gauri Bhaiya.

So we rehearsed with him for months.

But he was struggling.

All is well in Delhi?

It's better now, sir. Better than before.

What happened exactly?

My mother's been unwell. So I go see her when I can.

What is the problem?

She has...

kind of... blood cancer.

I had time... so I went to see her.

Your father is not there?

No, my father is no more.

I wish you well. I wish her well.

When it comes to sir...

while others say a great many things,

"Be passionate", "Believe in yourself", "You can do it",

and try to motivate you like that.

But words can only do so much.

What counts is when someone stands by you,

their hand on your shoulder, and shows you the way.

You just spoke about your mother.

I can see your face on video.

Your face had anguish all over it.

What you were saying was visible on your face.

There was no projection.

You weren't overly dramatic.

Because it's not needed.

Do I try too hard, sir?

Yes, too much effort.

You shared something so painful, so simply.

Yet, I felt your pain in every word.

Now, if I told you, these are your lines,

this is not your real life, but a script

and this is your screen test...

I'm 99% certain you would've performed it differently.

- Possibly. - "It's a dramatic situation...

"How do I interpret it?"

You would've f**ked it up for yourself and the film.

If you just feel the situation...

of a man staring at a uniform for eight years

choosing not to touch it...

I will wear this one day, go back to my village

and salute my parents.

But Gauri Bhaiya failed his final attempt.

People like him come in herds from all over India

wanting to become IPS officers.

And instead of studying, they do menial jobs.

Actors ready, Mehra?

It was a tough scene.

You can't become IPS officers.

A big crowd to control.

Those not part of the shoot

please vacate the area.

And this happened to be the day...

Roll sound!

...when our shoot...

...was disrupted by hooligans.

- Look! - What?

Bloody scoundrel! Don't you dare test me!

I'll bury you right here, m****f**ker!

What's your name? Take him to the cops.

Take this f**ker away!

Just take him away! Lock him up!

I'll never forget...

when this drama ended

VVC walked to Gauri, and said--

Now this is real anger.

You saw, right? Now do the scene.

Okay, go. Go for a take.

And...

action!

People like him come in herds from all over India

wanting to become IPS officers.

Instead of studying, they start doing menial jobs.

Hello, Gauri Bhaiya.

I mean, no disrespect...

but you're just wasting the country's resources, man!

You can't become IPS officers.

Just accept it and move on!

You're right.

You're absolutely right.

We come in herds, stuffed in buses and trains.

We come with nothing.

Our fathers have nothing.

They're vegetable vendors, truck drivers, sweepers.

They slog under the scorching sun, just like my father.

They can't afford expensive schools.

Can't afford coaching classes.

But you know what?

We don't come empty-handed.

We bring our will, determined to become officers one day.

Even if we have to sweep libraries or clean toilets.

We never stop.

We never give up.

Our will is rock solid.

And this will isn't bred in some fancy school.

It's born from the dreams of millions of Indians.

This will is our wealth.

Winning and losing is all part of life, Naval.

But from us millions, even if one wins,

the whole herd wins.

Gauri Bhaiya, excellent. Excellent!

Come here.

This scene was done. But at Restart tea stall--

nine scenes were left to shoot.

Switch everything on, quick!

Clear this out.

But you must be thinking, "So what? Sir will handle it."

Call! Call!

"He's Superman."

Move back!

"Can do anything."

Roll cameras!

And...

"And knows everything."

But shall I tell you a secret in his own lingo?

Sir, wear your mask.

He didn't know shit.

He knew f**k all.

Since you may not believe me,

let me tell you one last story.

The Flour Mill Story.

You told them how we found that flour mill?

That story? Not yet, sir.

Switch on the lights. You have to hear this.

We hunted for a flour mill all over North India.

We were looking for a flour mill.

We looked all over Agra.

Even Delhi.

I don't like it at all.

We found mills in the deepest nooks and crannies of Delhi

but sir rejected them all.

When we asked him why?

He snapped--

Don't ask me.

Just find me that mill.

What a weird answer!

We had no idea what he wanted.

I don't like this open... I don't like a place like this.

- They showed me 20-30 mills. - More than 30, sir!

So just as a thought...

What if he works at a junk dealer's shop?

Flour mill. The sound is good.

People in alleys stared at us... it got embarrassing.

So we insisted,

sir, please pick any of these, they all fit.

Don't treat me like a kid.

Just because I seek your opinions

doesn't mean I don't know what the f**k I'm doing.

But did he really know what he was doing?

Today, when I look back...

I remember him looking confused everywhere.

Then came the day when it all made sense.

And then these guys found a godown.

- Was it in Kamla Nagar? - Malkaganj.

Malkaganj in Delhi.

So, we went there.

Sir, mask.

He saw the godown...

said it was no good, and turned back.

And then there was a house on the right side.

We were like, why has he stopped here?

We're yet to find a mill. And he's saying--

What's in here? Open it.

Why's he getting it opened?

It was a random house. Not a mill!

I don't know what's inside.

We were all clueless.

Just doing as he said.

"Open the door."

Now who'll question him?

We got the key, opened the door.

Ayush and I went in first.

It was an ordinary room. Nothing special.

We thought, another waste.

But then sir walked in.

He took one look around

and said...

Okay, I think we found our flour mill.

Congratulations.

Found our flour mill? What?

This was some random store room.

You saw how we found it?

We've shown you so many mills,

and what are you showing us?

In that dark room, memories rushed back...

Are you directing this film? You're not meant to make this.

It's not his film at all.

You and this script have no connection at all.

No murders.

We went blank, when at the door, sir said...

"We've been looking for flour mills

"when we don't even need one."

Sir gathered us around and said,

"Today, I'll teach you all something

"but I won't take my 20 bucks because I just learned it myself."

And he said...

Now I know why I didn't like those mills.

"Because I was not looking for a flour mill."

What hellhole are you living in?

- "Let's go back home, Manoj." - Exactly.

"What hellhole are you living in?"

Let's go back home.

We'll sell government seeds on the black market

and make lots of money.

"...make lots of money. Build a big house."

He says it after looking at all this.

Suddenly it all made sense.

See now, for the first time, when you said,

"How can you be here?

"Get out!" I felt it.

"Get out of this hellhole!"

Now I know why I didn't like those mills.

Because in all those big mills...

that dialogue doesn't make sense.

Wow!

- It was like... - Amazing.

Those other mills are not hellholes.

They're big and full of light.

"I was looking for a hellhole...

"a place where I would not wish my worst enemy to live in.

"And you read the scene.

"Don't look at the written location. But read the scene."

Our mistake was we were looking for a flour mill.

Don't look at the location. Don't read 'flour mill'.

That's the mistake. It's not a 'flour mill'.

First, read the scene.

Always read the scene.

Read the scene.

Read the scene.

"Understand what the scene is."

She asks, "How will you study in this darkness?"

How will you study in this darkness?

And unless the darkness there consumes me,

it's not the right location.

There's a line that literally says,

"I don't fear the darkness outside, but the one within."

Wow!

- Had we really understood that line-- - Correct!

Papa always said...

"Don't fear the darkness outside, but the one within.

"The darkness of moral compromises one makes for comforts."

- Tell them. - Genius.

What did you say about me?

Needless to say...

It's a masterstroke.

Don't go by my expression, go by my emotion.

- Much better... - Much better.

It's beautiful.

See, please understand.

You think I know everything.

But I don't know shit.

It took me three years to write this film.

But I remember none of it. Ask him.

I always ask him, what's the next scene?

You've seen it, right? Always!

What's the shot before this?

What is after this?

What's before this?

Where was this?

What's before--

"What's before this scene?" Then I tell him...

"Oh! And after that?"

Then I tell him.

"We've written a good film, man. It's interesting!"

I don't know anything.

I'm discovering.

If I don't like it on a gut level

I reject it.

I don't like this.

I don't like it at all.

All this is bullshit. Cut the entire scene.

I must have reasons

that even I'm not aware of.

Don't ask me.

Just find me a mill.

It's when I saw that room, I realized...

Oh shit! That's why I didn't like any mills.

That day, I finally understood why.

And now, I understood,

that our sir never knew what to do!

Him panicking that day now made sense.

I was f**ked. The village had moved!

I almost gave up.

Even this camera started to bug him.

Go away.

Don't follow me.

Go away.

I like this, if we get the--

I didn't know what to do.

I had no f**king idea.

We laughed without realizing the magnitude of his confession.

I didn't know anything.

But I'm completely open to new ideas.

I'm saying, let it hit me.

I was a little disappointed with the script.

Tell me, how can I make it better?

I'd heard good writers rewrite scripts 8 times...

Again, he'd want me to come and read the script.

...and perfectionists rewrite 11-12 times.

And again give him feedback.

Like, who am I in front of him

giving any kind of feedback?

Then sir began his rewrites.

We kept on re-writing.

Everything is final...

There were 179 final versions!

But nothing is final.

It's too much, bro!

Why do we keep going in circles?

Because there's no secret formula, sir ji.

Quickly, one more. One more!

No one knows how far we can go.

No one knows what we will find if we keep looking.

- Tell this to the camera. - Genius!

You caught 'genius'?

Because VVC himself says there's no such thing as 'genius'.

He just keeps saying the same thing over and over again.

Never give up.

Never

Ever

Never ever give up.

Just don't!

"I won't accept defeat, I'm not that easy to beat.

"I'll write a new rhyme, On the pages of time."

Never give up!

I was told by everyone

including my dearest wife

to put the film on OTT.

She said, "Nobody will see this film in theaters, Vinod.

"No one will go to watch your film with Vikrant."

Even the agencies predicted a grim future...

Extremely poor numbers for the film.

Everyone scared me.

"Don't be scared in life."

The fear of failure that all of us grapple with...

He said, "Don't be afraid.

"And just be fearless and go out there

"and make the best film that you can."

So, guys, never give up. Please don't give up.

Bobby just said I'm 66, but I'm 72 years old.

I'm standing here and telling you...

Don't

Don't ever

Don't ever f**king

Don't ever f**king give up!

♪ Let's go back to zero again ♪

♪ And meet our lost selves again ♪

♪ Let's go back to zero ♪

♪ And meet our lost selves again ♪

♪ Whether you weep or laugh, Life will always pass ♪

♪ If you insist on living a lie Long before your death you'll die ♪

♪ We'll all meet our end, you hear? ♪

♪ We'll all meet our end, you hear! ♪

♪ Why then live in fear? ♪

♪ Why then live in fear! ♪

♪ Come, let's meet with our joys again ♪

♪ Let's go back to zero again ♪

♪ Let's meet our lost selves again ♪

♪ Let's find the path honesty brings ♪

♪ Let's meet the child within ♪

♪ Let's find the path honesty brings ♪

♪ And rekindle the innocence within ♪

♪ With light hearts we'll whistle and cheer, ♪

♪ Embracing old friends we haven't for years ♪

♪ We'll all meet our end, you hear? ♪

♪ We'll all meet our end, you hear! ♪

♪ Why then live in fear? ♪

♪ Why then live in fear! ♪

♪ Let's embrace our happy selves again ♪

♪ Let's go back to zero again ♪

♪ Go back to zero, man! ♪

♪ Let's meet our lost selves again ♪

♪ Come, my friend, let's meet our own self again ♪

Sir!

Sir, I want to be like you.

What should I do?

Stop cheating! That's all.

Shall we?

I want to tell you that I'm from Kashmir.

And in 1960's I told my father, I want to make movies.

The first thing he told me...

"You'll go to Bombay?"

Yes.

"You'll die of hunger."

So it's been a long journey

and I just want to

recite a poem we wrote recently.

"Let's go back to zero again"

"And meet our lost selves again"

"Whether you weep or laugh,"

"Life will always pass"

"If you insist on living a lie"

"Long before your death you'll die"

"We'll all meet our end, you hear! Why then live in fear?"

"Let's embrace our happy selves again"

"Let's go back to zero again!"

And the next line that I really love...

"Let's find the path honesty brings"

"Let's meet the child within"

"Let's find the path honesty brings"

"And rekindle the innocence within"

"With light hearts we'll whistle and cheer"

"Embracing old friends we haven't for years"

"Lunchbox leftovers, school day treats"

"Let's share them all and have a feast"

"We'll all meet our end, you hear?"

"Why then live in fear?"

"Let's embrace our happy selves again"

"Come, my friend, let's meet ourselves again"

"Let's go back to zero again"

Thank you so much.