Last year’s surprise hit 12th Fail recently completed 25 weeks of its theatrical run, a feat not seen in Bollywood for 23 years since Gadar in 2001. And actor Medha Shankr, who played actor Vikrant Massey’s love interest in the Vidhu Vinod Chopra directorial, couldn’t be more elated.

“It’s unbelievable. It is a remarkable feat for any film,” says Shankr, adding that the team had a mini celebration at a theatre recently. “We were given certificates saying ‘25 weeks’, a cake was cut and there were posters all around,” she recalls.

The film proved a game-changer for the actor, who played a younger version of IRS officer Shraddha Joshi Sharma. “I can clearly demarcate my life before and after 12th Fail. I now have access to filmmakers that I have only dreamed of working with. Because of this film’s success and my performance, big filmmakers have faith in me now. 12th Fail has become a gift that keeps on giving,” says Shankr.

It isn’t just the film’s impressive theatrical run, but its streaming release that awakened Shankr to the staggering popularity she has amassed over the past months. “It was after its OTT release, that I could sense what success felt like. Whenever I step out, people want pictures, and my Instagram has blown up,” gushes the 27-year-old, whose follower count has spiked from 16K to 2M.

With Animal, which was a more commercial project with a more massy subject releasing around the same time as 12th Fail, actor Triptii Dimri, too, experienced a similar graph of popularity and acclaim. 

Ask Shankr how much commercial subjects appeal to her, and she says: “I want my trajectory to have a balance of both. I don’t believe that any commercial film has to be devoid of a good script or acting. So, I would love to do commercial cinema — there isn’t a fight between that and art films. I am very keen on doing both.”