Sidharth Malhotra kicks off Shershaah in Chandigarh with portions involving Kargil war hero Captain Vikram Batra's time spent in college
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; May 7, 2019)

Proving his mettle as an actor isn't the only objective with his next; Sidharth Malhotra understands that playing Kargil war hero Captain Vikram Batra attaches itself with an element of responsibility. In a bid to not disappoint, the actor has gone to great lengths to do justice to his act as the Param Vir Chakra recipient.

As shooting for Shershaah - as Batra was reportedly referred to in intercepted messages of the Pakistan Army - kicks off in Chandigarh today, a source from the unit tells mid-day, "Today, scenes involving Captain Batra's early days, prior to his appointment in the Army, will be shot. Some scenes will be filmed at the DAV College in Chandigarh, where he studied medical sciences. It was in college that he joined the National Cadet Corps Air Wing during his first year."

Malhotra, we're told, has been training in handling arms and artillery at the Marol Police Training Ground since the last few weeks. "Given that he will also play Captain Batra's twin [Vishal], the characters will have distinct looks. Last week, Sidharth, and the cast and crew, met Captain Batra's batch-mate Colonel Sanjeev Singh Jamwal. [He] shared anecdotes of the Kargil war."

Malhotra begins filming with on-screen lady love Kiara Advani for the Vishnu Varadhan directed, and Karan Johar and Shabbir Boxwala produced film. Boxwala informs, "Colonel Jamwal met us in Mumbai last week. We begin the first schedule today in Chandigarh. Sidharth has worked hard on this role and has been attending workshops every day. An Army officer has also trained him on the nuances of his part, including the body language, [manner in which he must] salute, and shooting in high altitudes, since we will film in Leh and Ladakh."


Batra; Colonel Jamwal