Empty Classroom Makes Movie Magic: Last-Minute Switch Creates Tearful Scene in 12th Fail
Director's impulsive decision transforms Vikrant Massey and Medha Shankr's encounter into a heart-wrenching moment.
The associate director of 12th Fail, Jaskunwar Kohli, shared on social media that the film's last-minute choice to shoot main actors Vikrant Massey and Medha Shankr's encounter in an empty classroom produced a scene that brought the entire crew to tears.
"The scene that would have otherwise been very brash instead ended up being very gentle because of the empty classroom, the slight echo in their voices, and the characters not having to talk too loud because of the street noise," Kohli posted on Instagram on Friday.
By sharing a photo of Vikrant and Medha hugging Chopra, Kohli clarified how the scene progressed. Initially, the sequence, depicting Shraddha catching up with Manoj as the latter rushed out of his class, was planned to take place in the openness of Mukherjee Nagar.
According to Kohli, "the AD team had prepared the public location; hundreds of extras were set up and ready to roll."
"But at the very last minute, VVC had an impulsive thought — the very thought that is the foundation of every frame of this film — a thought that turned everything on its head," the associate director continued, expanding on Chopra's last-minute, rash idea. Choosing to perform the scenario in an empty classroom rather a public setting was VVC's decision.
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Despite the crew’s initial uncertainty surrounding Chopra’s desire for a “boring, visually flat classroom over the possibility of the bustling chaos of Mukherjee”, the decision proved to be a critical one and led itself to the making of a very poignant sequence.
“So vital was this decision, in fact, that both actors, @vikrantmassey and @medhashankr, produced a performance that moved the crew to tears,” Kohli wrote.
"After the shoot, not a word was spoken, silence was abound — and in the middle of that silence, while everyone waited, VVC held both Vikrant and Medha in a gentle embrace to celebrate the beautiful job that they both had done," he continued, reflecting on the scene's significance.
Disney+ Hotstar is presently offering streaming for the movie 12th Fail, which debuted in theaters on October 27 of last year.
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