Sidharth Malhotra, who made his debut with Karan Johar’s Student of Year, is back in the Dharma fold with the movie, Shershaah. Based on the life of Indian Army officer Captain Vikram Batra (Shershaah was his code name), who fought in the 1999 Kargil War, the movie has released digitally on Amazon Prime Video. Here, Sidharth talks about the movie, which sees Kiara Advani playing his love interest, the prep he underwent for playing an army officer, and more. Excerpts:
This is your first biopic based on an Army officer. Did you feel any pressure in playing the part?
I am nervous. This is my first film where I am playing a real-life hero. Captain Vikram Batra sacrificed his life during the Kargil war, so in a way, this film belongs to every soldier who laid his life for the country. When you come to know about the heroic things they have done and are still doing, your respect for them goes to another level. So much is written about him so there is a lot of pressure and responsibility. I feel proud that I got to wear the uniform on the big screen, because he is genuinely a hero who faced many hurdles, and while he accomplished the first mission he uttered, ‘Dil mange more.’ I met his parents and his twin brother, Vishal Batra. I know this is not a commercial story for them. This is a story of and for their family. There is more emotional pressure attached to this role. I hope his family feels we have shown his story well. I was attached to the character and playing him was emotionally challenging.
How would you describe your character?
I would say it’s not a fictitious role, everything has happened in real life, so emotions get limited. I had to adapt to new things and there was not much space to change anything about the real story. We are hoping that the youth will get inspired — this is the intention. It’s the story of war and a hero, who completes the mission in India’s toughest hills. He is injured with other soldiers depending on him; I would only think what must be his view then. He had no fear. I am sure the audience, too, will relate to the story. After performing the Kargil sequence, I realised how fear takes a back seat when you want to achieve something. And, now, I also think ‘Yeh dil mange more’.
Is there something you had not known about the Indian Army before doing Shershaah?
There are many things about the Indian Army that were new for me — something as basic like they follow timings for everything, including food and rest. It’s completely different from what a normal person does in everyday life. What I like the most about our defence forces is the discipline. Sometimes you feel lazy, you run late, you are hungry or not hungry, but there is no such option for them. You have to follow whatever you are asked to do. We have the best Army in mountain warfare, desert and guerrilla warfare and we have defeated the enemies. We are trained for that toughness. As an Army personal, one has to be focused and mentally strong. I have closely experienced all of it.
How much support did you receive from the Indian Army?
The Indian Army has been supportive. They helped us get the facts right. They assigned an actual battalion posted in Kargil to guide us. We have tried to make an honest film on the Kargil war martyr, and hope to get a good and positive response from the audience and Capt. Vikram Batra’s family.
What kind of training did you undergo for the film?
We were in Kargil for 46 days to shoot the sequence. We did extensive physical and gun training. It’s not easy to shoot in Kargil with the wind speed that is so fast. Since there are no gyms, we trained with the soldiers, and became friends. The last scene, when Capt. Batra is martyred, was emotionally difficult for us. How to do your version as an actor was the thought process at that time. You feel the emotions strongly thinking what he must have felt while he was counting his last breaths. After doing that scene, a sense of gratitude was instilled in me, and as an adult, I have realised the importance of Army personnel.
