Actor Vikrant Massey is among the top contenders for the 70th National Film Award this year for his performance in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 12th Fail. The biographical film received positive reviews, and Massey’s portrayal of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, in particular, amassed a lot of love from fans and critics alike. In fact, soon after the film released in December last year, actor Urmila Matondkar and businessman Anand Mahindra took to X and expressed that Massey’s poignant performance merited a National Award.

Ahead of the 2024 National Film Awards’ announcement next month, we ask Massey how his current state of mind is. “Let’s see, I don’t want to jinx it by talking about it too much,” he jokes. 

Humbled by all the praise and encouragement coming his way, Massey states that just being considered worthy of the honour makes him feel proud of his craft. “To be considered [for the award] in a year where many performances stood out and were respected... I think I’m already in the good club, and I’m happy about that,” he shares.

The actor goes on to laud the other commendable performances that are vying for the prestigious award. “There were some incredible performances last year, like what Vicky (Kaushal, actor) did in Sam Bahadur, and the amount of hard work he put in for that role was phenomenal. I know this because Meghna Gulzar (director) is a dear friend of mine,” he continues, “Fahadh’s (Faasil, actor) Aavesham and Prithviraj’s (Sukumaran, actor) Aadujeevitham - The Goat Life were equally good.”

Massey’s co-star from 12th Fail, Medha Shankr, also received appreciation from all quarters for her role as Shraddha Joshi, Kumar’s better half.