12th Fail and Aspirants - A dual crash course in civil services!

Civil services has become one such profession that's becoming even more popular amongst youngsters than it already is, thanks to the experiential understanding that 12th Fail and Aspirants have provided!

Competitive exams are widely sought after in India not just because they offer a stable career but also because they are based on the simple idea of putting your all into your education. While each has its own challenges, UPSC is considered the toughest to crack because, contrary to popular belief, civil services is not just a test of your general knowledge but also about who you are as an individual and what your ideologies are. And thanks to content like 12th Fail and Aspirants, we understand the struggles and life of aspirants of civil services a little better. 

Coincidentally, 12th Fail and the second season of Aspirants were both released around the same time and watching both things in succession only makes you realize how they're the perfect duo for a crash course in civil services. While12th Fail is a motivational story about a boy from Chambal cracking UPSC, Aspirants is a detailed exploration of what civil services entail. Both stories follow the story of a male protagonist through whom the lanes of Rajender Nagar or Mukherjee Nagar come alive.

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In 12th Fail, we watched the rising of an underdog, Manoj, who is from a lower-class background and struggles to fight every roadblock on his way to becoming an IPS officer. The film's technical soundness and exceptional performances made it a soaring success but its beating heart lay with Manoj's resilience and dedication, who, after every failure, chose to rise up yet again and start over. It's known that clearing UPSC in one attempt is a miracle that only a few can make happen. Hence, watching Manoj's story becomes inspirational not just for UPSC students! The film even points out the added layer of struggle that lower-class Hindi-medium students face in terms of discrimination and financial crisis. 

With its two seasons, Aspirants follows the story of Abhilash, a working professional from a middle-class background whose passion for becoming an IAS officer drives him to go through everything. The show is more of an educational account of how the preparation of civil services ends up preparing you for the job you end up in after clearing the exams. Drawing the parallels between job struggles that find practical solutions from learnings of the past, it's Abhilash's journey and his tests through time, love, friendship, and IAS. Who knew that preparation for the UPSC would not only end up preparing you for the field but also for life?  

Apart from this, both films focus on and borrow from the nitty gritties of UPSC. Students, living conditions, study material, essay writing, question papers, and, of course, the nerve wrecking interviews. These films become a source of inspiration and also make for relatable content for people gearing up for the UPSC. They also ignite fire in others to take the path of civil services! 

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