 "Vidhu Vinod Chopra & Vikrant Massey’s Zero Se Restart Movie Review")
Language: Hindi
Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Jaskunwar Singh Kohli
Cast: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Vikrant Massey and others
Zero Se Restart is a documentary of the making of Vikrant Massey’s 12th Fail. It is about the struggles Vidhu Vinod Chopra faced starting from numerous rejections and coming up with a masterpiece. Vikrant Massey’s 12th Fail has shown that to make a film successful you don’t need big stars or fancy locations, but stories that touch the hearts of the viewers. And that was the one and only intention behind the making of 12th Fail by filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
Starting from zeroing down on the locations and to taming the people in the background whether it was the busy street of the coaching centers or the village of Chambal. This film script was rejected by all. Zero Se Restart shows the commitment of the director and Vikrant Massey who never gave up on the fact that the film will see the light of the day. Zero Se Restart tells us that nobody can write you off, you can always restart at any point of your life.
Through Zero Se Restart we get to see the several hardships that a filmmaker goes through when you are making a film that is so close to reality. Vidhu Vinod Chopra wanted the people to see what went behind making the masterpiece 12th Fail . In fact, time and again he was told not to cast Vikrant Masssey as many felt that he didn’t have the screen presence of a theatrical release.
He was, in fact, told to cast Varun Dhawan. But Chopra felt that it is Massey alone who fits into the role. He never wanted a star for 12th Fail, but an actor who could understand the sentiments of people and the audiences could relate to him as Manoj Kumar Sharma, the man on whom the story is based on. Other than Vidhu Vinod Chopra, others in his team felt it was a complete recipe of a flop film. But sometimes, it is best to follow your heart and that’s exactly what VVC did.
But the big question now is why did Vidhu Vinod Chopra want to make Zero Se Restart a theatrical release. We get to know that his wife Anupama Chopra wanted 12th Fail to release on OTT. But he was adamant that the movie should go to the theatres and true to his belief the movie did brilliantly in theatres and also on Netflix.
The point is will Zero Se Restart do well in theatres? That is a big question mark. We need to understand that 12th Fail is a film based on a real story and a story that is relatable and gives hope to numerous aspirants. But Zero Se Restart is a BTS film based on unseen moments that went behind creating 12th Fail. And who is interested in what goes behind the making of a masterpiece and will the audience buy tickets to watch it in theatres. Not disagreeing that it shows the minute details of the highs and lows of filmmaking, but you need to be an ardent cinema lover to understand those emotions. Indian audiences has rarely seen such behind-the-scenes documentaries on big screen, so are they really ready for it?
The best thing about Zero Se Restart is that at the end of the film, VVC admits that he knows nothing about filmmaking and is also starting from zero. 12th Fail is a film that is very different from his filmography and he has completely taken the risk of doing something that is very different from his previous projects. It’s a huge risk, but he was willing to take it and it was definitely worth it
Being a film journalist, I too felt why am I watching Zero Se Restart? Is it to see the struggles of VVC and his dedication in making 12th Fail which everybody apparently thought is going to fail? Are Indian audiences ready for watching this kind of film in theatres which is a kind of a masterclass on making a masterpiece? Zero Se Restart, I personally feel would have done brilliantly if it was released on Netflix or among film school students. With due respect to Vidhu Vinod Chopra and not running down the efforts that went behind making Vikrant Massey’s 12th Fail, I sincerely believe that Zero Se Restart is just not meant for the theatres.
Rating: 2 and half out of 5
WATCH the trailer of Vidhu Vinod Chopra & Vikrant Massey’s Zero Se Restart Movie here:
Lachmi Deb Roy is the entertainment editor of Firtspost, Network18. She reviews films and series with a gender lens. Her interviews are called 'Not Just Bollywood' because she takes huge interest in world cinema. OTT over theatrical releases is her preference unless and until its a King Khan film. She takes interest in fashion, food and art reviews too.