Vikrant Massey, regarded as the best actor of our generation, recently won the prestigious National Film Award for Best Actor for his deeply moving performance in 12th Fail.
Known for his quiet intensity and emotional depth, Massey’s portrayal of Manoj Kumar Sharma, an underdog who rises from the margins to become an IPS officer.
He has been celebrated as one of the most authentic performances in recent Indian cinema. In one of the most heartwarming and inspiring casting stories of recent times, Vikrant Massey revealed how director Vidhu Vinod Chopra knew he had found his Manoj Kumar Sharma.
Recalling the moment it all began, Vikrant shared, “While we were at his farmhouse he wanted to just go through the script with me and the opening shot of the film where you see Manoj Kumar Sharma sitting and making chits – So I took that fetal position and got down on the ground and started writing, is when he said that ‘I think I’ve found my Manoj.’”
It was an instinctive move which was unplanned and unrehearsed that mirrored the vulnerability and raw determination of the real Manoj Kumar Sharma. Vikrant continued, “He asked me why I sat like that, I said – this is how I felt a person would sit. Then he said, ‘This is what I had envisioned. This wasn’t there in the script but you did exactly what I had envisioned it’ and that’s how the journey began.”
That moment turned into one of the most critically acclaimed performances of the year, earning Vikrant Massey not only the admiration of audiences but also one of Indian cinema’s highest honors. The film resonated with audiences for its emotional core and sincerity came alive due to Vikrant’s powerful and nuanced portrayal. Meanwhile, on the work front, he is preparing for White, a historical drama biopic in which he will portray the renowned spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.