Actor Medha Shankr, who made her cinema debut with the acclaimed "12th Fail", says she was inundated with congratulatory messages after the film was released on OTT.

Starring Vikrant Massey and Shankr, the Hindi film is based on Anurag Pathak’s best-selling novel about the incredible journey of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma and IRS officer Shraddha Joshi.

Directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, "12th Fail" was a surprise hit at the box office, earning around Rs 70 crore worldwide upon its release last October. Two months later, the digital release on Disney+ Hotstar only amplified its reach.

Shankr, who played Shraddha Joshi in the movie, said she received a lot of love from all quarters once "12th Fail" started streaming.

"I tasted success after the OTT release because of the kind of love I got from the industry and otherwise on the internet. My Instagram literally blew up. This is just my first film and people have been incredibly kind to me.

"Audiences were lovely to me but also the fraternity-directors, producers, actors, they all messaged me, called me, warmed up to me to appreciate my work and how much they loved the film. I hope and pray that I get to work with the kind of filmmakers I've always dreamt of working with," the actor told PTI in an interview here.

The film, based on the 2019 eponymous non-fiction book by Anurag Pathak, recently completed 25 weeks in theatres.

Shankr said she is full of gratitude.

“Twenty-five weeks in the cinemas. It's big. We're just cherishing that moment for now. It's definitely opened up more avenues, more opportunities. But right now, I'm just enjoying the moment.

“People have so much respect and regard for every single actor in the film and the filmmaker. They (audience) look at us as if we have given them some motivation and inspiration. That regard in somebody's eyes is very special,” she added.

The Noida-born actor, who was earlier seen in projects such as “Beecham House”, “Shaadisthan” and “Dil Bekaraar” in supporting roles, said it took her around six years to get a breakthrough.

“I've been in Bombay for the past five-six years now, and it took me that long to get a film like this. Before that I've done some projects but it didn’t give me the kind of recognition I wanted. It was a long journey till this film happened.” One just has to believe in themselves and keep going, said Shankr.

“Every single day we have to restart in our lives because self-doubt is going to creep in from time to time. All the negative talk is going to creep in. But you have to believe in yourself and keep going. “You have to be your biggest critic and your biggest cheerleader and just give yourself the self-belief because nobody else is going to give it to you. So, you have to give it to yourself and keep going,” she added.

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