Last year, Vikrant Massey delivered a film that pivoted his career—the Vidhu Vinod Chopra directorial ’12th Fail’. His phenomenal performance in the inspiring journey from rags to an IPS officer left both audiences and critics spellbound. As the actor gears up for the sequel of his hit mystery thriller ‘Haseen Dillruba’ alongside Taapsee Pannu, he has been generating buzz over both the sequel to ’12th Fail’ and the coveted National Award that may come his way. Ahead of the gripping thriller’s release, Vikrant has opened up about the speculations and buzz.

The film emerged as a dark horse and garnered immense success due to its storyline and relevance, coupled with Massey’s performance. Based on a book by Anurag Pathak, ’12th Fail’ narrates the life of Manoj Kumar Sharma, who navigated a life brimming with poverty to become an IPS officer. The film also focused on how his wife, IRS officer Shraddha Joshi, played a catalyst in Sharma’s rise. ’12th Fail’, developed with a budget of 20 crore, amassed an impressive 69 crore at the global box office after an opening of 1 crore.

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In a conversation with India Today, Vikrant was asked if he is avoiding being typecast after the success of ’12th Fail’. He responded affirmatively, noting that he has been receiving offers to make something similar to ’12th Fail’, but he has consciously chosen to pick different projects. “When something works, people want more of it. Hence, ‘Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba’ is applicable because we left off the first part in a way that left potential to see what happens in their lives beyond this.”

 

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Commenting explicitly on the possibility of a sequel, the actor expressed doubt, saying, “If I may say so, I really don’t see a ’12th Fail’ part two happening. Do people want it? Yes. But is that the right thing? I mean, that is a collective decision we all have to make. From my experience, whatever little I know, yes, films that work make people want more of them.”

Apart from creating buzz about the sequel, netizens are speculating that Vikrant might win the prestigious National Award for his role in the film. In an interview with Indian Express, the actor revealed that the possibility of winning the coveted award feels ‘surreal.’ He acknowledged that winning the National Award and being felicitated by the President of India is every actor’s dream, and he would be lying if he didn’t aspire to stand in Rashtrapati Bhawan and receive the honor. “I love the support and the chatter happening online. People are rooting for me. But having said that… it’s a surreal feeling. Main kya keh sakta hoon ab!”

Vikrant Massey will next be seen alongside Taapsee Pannu and Sunny Kaushal in ‘Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba’, set to release on Netflix on August 9.