Someone shared an FB post: “All I need is a girl like Shraddha.”
The post was related to the most hyped movie of the year, 12th Fail. The way the character ‘Shraddha’ was portrayed as caring, understanding, and, of course, the muse of our protagonist is enough to make an impractical aspiration to have partners like Shraddha in real life. Of course, this is not new; for ages, Bollywood has been cementing the stereotype that to succeed, you must have an ideal woman who is caring, understanding, and ready to sacrifice everything for her love. She is labelled as greedy, evil, or an opportunist if she fails to check any of these boxes. 12th Fail didn’t disappoint us with these age-old narratives sponsored by Bollywood.
The most senseless narrative I saw in the movie is that just blurting those three magical words changes the hero’s life.
Whether it’s the interview of Raju Rastogi from 3 Idiots or Manoj from 12th Fail, one thing in common: whether appearing for a corporate interview or a UPSC interview, the shortcut to success is speaking everything that matters nothing. Narrate pep personal stories, explain the rich vs. poor, them vs. us, and congratulations, you got your job!
Now, to address the elephant in the room: how easy is it for a Hindi medium student who can’t even differentiate between tourism and terrorism to crack UPSC? In reality, the percentage of students clearing UPSC with Hindi medium is abysmal. The reason is obvious: a lack of insightful resource materials in Hindi and other vernacular languages. Those who use Google Translate find it even worse. Unless the candidate has prior knowledge of the subject, mere Google Translate worsens things. But 12th Fail showed us that it’s all sheer hard labour and, of course, the three magical words from the lady love that make a Hindi medium student successful. So, sorry to all single aspirants; if you have yet to find your lady love, there’s no chance!
Is 12th Fail an inspirational movie?
Not at all. It’s just another Bollywood epic promoting ‘survivorship Bias’. An average competitive exam candidate spends approximately 3-4 years trying to crack it, and if they fail, they fall into the big zero again. This is how tough UPSC is, where lakhs are jeopardizing their futures. And, of course, there is society, media, and Bollywood that never let this dream fade away.
Even though it’s a semi-true biopic movie, did the movie maker promote it as just a biopic?
13 lakh candidates appeared for UPSC this year. Among them, some of the sharpest brains in the country hail from IIT, IIT, and even MIT, and only 14,624 made it to mains.
So, how practical is it for an average Hindi-medium student to grind for years?
Did the movie address the need for course materials in vernacular languages as well? No, it didn’t!
This movie failed when the protagonist said, in front of interviewers, that he reached that stage without the support of “oxygen.”
How could somebody be so selfish, denying the support he got right from his grandmother, his friend Pandey, his mentor Gauri Bhaiya, and all the support systems? I think that’s how the real world treats you unless it’s materialistic support; everything else is just nonsense.
In the interview, the protagonist brought up the example of a Sherpa scaling Everest without oxygen while other mountaineers rely on oxygen to reach Everest. I found it illogical that the guy would compare a genetically built Sherpa to survive mountains with a common man going mountaineering. The irony is that the example was given to the gentlemen interviewing for the country’s most prestigious exams.
The only thing I found inspirational and real in the movie is Gauri Bhaiya and the lakhs of Gauri Bhaiyas in this entire civil exam-crazy nation. Their stories merge into darkness, just like Gauri Bhaiya’s story in 12th Fail, and nobody bothers to make a movie about them. Of course, there’s a billion-dollar civil service industry out there. There is Khan sir, Vikas sir, and hundreds of others who mint bucks out of it.
Closing note: Just imagine what would happen if Netaji appeared for the civil service exam and became a loyal British servant. Would there be Azad hind force? What if all our freedom leaders, who were well qualified enough to appear for civil service exams, opted to become ICS officers? Would there be an independent India? When the country is going through so many challenges, corruption, and issues, lakhs of bright minds from across the country remain occupied with the dream called UPSC. Don’t let them go unleashed.