Everything we know about Sidharth Malhotra's war movie 'Shershaah'
Makers dropped the trailer for Sidharth Malhotra's upcoming war movie Shershaah recently, just in time for Kargil Vijay Diwas. Based on Captain Vikram Batra's story, the movie will see Malhotra essay the titular role. Also starring Kiara Advani, it's gearing up for an Amazon Prime release on August 12, competing with Bhuj: The Pride of India that releases on August 13 on Disney+ Hotstar.
Trailer introduces us to Vikram Batra, who promises to 'return'
The nearly three-minute-long trailer covers what we should expect quite well. We are introduced to Malhotra's Batra and his patriotism. When a friend asks him to promise he'll return from the war, Batra says his return is confirmed. It's just that "either I'll hoist the flag and return or I'll return wrapped in it." Advani plays Batra's fiancée Dimple Cheema in this flick.
Several connections to reality are made in the teaser
Advani says in the clip that she'll never marry if she doesn't get to wed Malhotra. This is in tune with reality, as Cheema didn't marry after Batra was martyred at the age of 24. We also hear Batra say the famous code words, "Yeh Dil Maange More." The trailer also reveals that Batra's codename for the war was Shershaah, hence the movie's title.
Batra had died while saving his fellow soldier in 1999
Batra had displayed exemplary valor in the 1999 war, when he deliberately exposed himself to enemy fire to save an injured soldier. He had gunned down four Pakistani soldiers and died, all while saving his comrade. Posthumously, he was awarded with the Param Vir Chakra.
'Shershaah' is first ever Amazon Prime-Dharma collaboration for global release
Directed by Vishnu Varadhan, Shershaah has been produced jointly by Dharma Productions and Kaash Entertainment. Interestingly, it is the first-ever collaboration between Amazon Prime and Dharma for a global release. Shooting for the film had begun in May 2019, and Malhotra had shared the first look on his birthday in January 2020. The film also stars Shiv Panditt, Raj Arjun, and Pranay Pachauri.
War movies have preached jingoism lately, will 'Shershaah' be different?
Originally touted to hit theaters in 2020, the movie was delayed due to the pandemic. War movies in the past have more or less followed the same route of displaying patriotism in colors of jingoism. Let's see which route Shershaah follows. After this, Malhotra will again don the role of an action hero for Johar, as he has been recently signed for another actioner.
