Kargil war hero Vikram Batra’s life has been brought to screen in Shershaah, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani, and directed by Vishnu Vardhan.
Captain Vikram Batra’s parents — Giridhar Lal and Kamal Kanta Batra — are quite happy with Shershaah and the way Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani have acted in their son’s biopic.
Shershaah stars Sidharth as Kargil war hero Captain Vikram Batra, while Kiara plays his fiancee Dimple Cheema. Shershaah, currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, is earning praise for its sensitive and emotional storytelling and for Sidharth and Kiara’s performances.
Talking to the Times of India, Vikram Batra’s father said, “Shershaah is a very nice, well-made film. I think Sidharth and Kiara have done a very good job. Sidharth’s entry is very nice as well. Vishnu Vardhan has directed it very well.”
When asked if the family was involved in the film’s casting, Giridhar Lal Batra said, “There were many names that came up but eventually Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani were finalised. Like us, Sidharth is a Punjabi Khatri. We were happy with the choice of casting him. Kiara Advani is a good actress who is coming up well. We were fine with her casting too. They had kept us in the loop about their casting.”
Vikram Batra’s father also mentioned how the family had apprehensions about the biopic. “Yes, we had a bit of a hesitation but we had expressed a similar hesitation even when J P Dutta had come to us for LOC: Kargil. We had told him that please don’t show anything in a wrong way that it may lead to anybody raising a finger. That’s why we did everything amicably and reasonably,” he said.
Audience as well as critics have heaped praise at the love story of Vikram and Dimple, which forms an integral part of Shershaah. Vikram’s parents spoke fondly of Dimple Cheema, who vowed to never marry after his demise. “She calls up about twice in a year on our respective birthdays,” Vikram’s father said.
He added that both he and his wife and Dimple’s parents insisted she moved on with her life after Vikram died in the 1999 Kargil war but she was certain she wanted to live with his memories.
“As long as my child is not going on the wrong track, I have always been a liberal father. Vikram had told us about Dimple and their intention of getting married. I told him that I was with them in their decision. I knew from the start that Dimple is a very respectful girl who understands relationships. After the Kargil war, we told her to get married as she has a life ahead. Her parents too told her the same. But she told us that she wouldn’t get married and live the rest of her life with Vikram’s memories,” Giridhar Lal Batra concluded.
