Vikrant Massey reveals the ‘toughest part’ of playing Manoj Kumar Sharma in 12th Fail

Actor Vikrant Massey recently received accolades for playing Manoj Kumar Sharma in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s film 12th Fail. Talking to GQ India in an interview, the actor opened up about how difficult it was to play the role.

‘Lost weight and tanned’
Vikrant revealed that because Vinod is such a perfectionist, he spent almost a year and a half preparing for the film and three months attending extensive workshops. The actor also lost weight and tanned for the film, which meant, he didn’t need to use makeup to bronze his skin. “I had to lose weight and tan my skin. While tanning my skin, it actually got burnt and I freaked out and thought we’d have to push shoot. But then I told Vinod, and he said it’s a boon and we wouldn’t need makeup. We’d be going in raw,” he said.

‘The emotional weight was taxing’
Despite the burnt skin, Vikrant says the toughest part for him was the emotional heft of playing the role. “The toughest part of this journey for me, however, was the emotional weight of playing this character. Someone who represents the dreams of millions of Indians. To tell a real India story that would resonate with the masses,” he added, “Even Manoj sometimes felt like he might not be able to fulfil his dream, and his entire outlook became bleak. The truth is that some people make it, some people don’t. This is one of the toughest examinations in the world, and it presents a daunting task. It’s not something that you can just walk in and clear.”

Upcoming work
Vikrant will soon be seen in Yaar Jigri, Sector 36 and The Sabarmati Report. It was also recently announced that he will soon star in the sequel of the 2021 film Haseen Dillruba, titled Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, which will see him and Taapsee Pannu reprise their roles.