Captain Vikram Batra’s biopic, Shershaah, would seem incomplete if one did not speak about the woman he was in love with and had promised to marry. Dimple Cheema and he were in a committed relationship when he was martyred during the Kargil War in 1999. Their larger-than-life love story blossomed in Chandigarh in the late ’90s. However, Dimple chose to remain unmarried after Captain Vikram Batra was martyred on the battlefield.

Kiara Advani is essaying the role of Dimple Cheema in the Vishnu Varadhan directorial that premieres on Amazon Prime Video on August 12; it is jointly produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Kaash Entertainment. The actress met Dimple at a hotel in Chandigarh back in 2019 when she was in the city for another professional commitment.

That conversation, Kiara insists, was the most important part of her preparation to play the role. “Towards the end of the narration I cried. I went home and I wanted to pour it all out to my parents and my brother. We were kids when the war had happened. I had very little understanding of it. News from the battlefront would play out on television and would be in the newspapers. I couldn’t understand what was going on. And now, I was going to become a part of a film that’s an ode to a braveheart, who was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, and to all the other war heroes of Kargil. I feel grateful for the freedom we have, thanks to these officers who protect our borders at all times. This film made me understand the emotional turmoil of a martyr’s family; they, too, make so many sacrifices,” she says.

Kiara adds, “Meeting Dimple Cheema was the most important emotional aspect of making this film. We had not even started shooting when we met and it was the best part of the prep. She gave me an insight into her mind and her heart which then helped me emote better on screen. It was Vishal Batra, Captain Vikram Batra’s twin brother, who helped us meet each other. I wanted to understand her closely and emulate her as close to reality as I could. We incorporated Punjabi dialogues because she is from Punjab. It was an overwhelming and emotional experience for me to play Dimple. I was eager to know what the family had to say and what Dimple felt on seeing the trailer. Vishal told me that everyone at home was very emotional. Dimple is happy and emotional in equal measures. I know when she sees the film, it will evoke all sorts of emotions in her. She was gracious to share her love story because it’s a crucial part of Captain Vikram Batra’s life.”

Dimple has seldom spoken on public platforms about what she and Captain Vikram Batra shared when they were together. She opened the coffers of her heart to allow Kiara to understand what her relationship with the war hero was like. “Dimple has been very shy and reserved about speaking about this. Her love for him made her share the story when we were prepping for the film. It was a heart-to-heart between two women. She shared her memories, and from the way she spoke, it seemed like it all happened just yesterday. It was fresh in her mind. The pride she had for her man and also for what he did for the nation, how he was with her, and how she feels he’s still with her — makes for a beautiful and unique love story. It’s so rare that you choose to remain in love long after your loved one has passed. It’s difficult to imagine how it must have been for her to make such a decision; he fought on the battlefield and she fought and stood up against her family, stood by his dream and stood by her decision not to marry anyone, ever,” says an emotional Kiara, adding, “While talking to her, I observed that she is someone who lives with love, pride and happiness in her heart. She is a really strong woman who chose a very different path of happiness, and one of hope that they will meet soon. She is beautiful, strong, independent and happy. It’s rare to find someone like her.”

Talking about collaborating with Sidharth Malhotra for the first time for the film, Kiara says, “I truly believe it is Captain Vikram Batra and Dimple’s story that makes our chemistry work on screen. You automatically connect with the written material. We did our readings thoroughly every night. We shot on real locations and were addressed by our screen names. After a point, it got so real that even after ‘cut’, we were reeling-in the moment we filmed. We’re working together for the first time on an incredibly special movie. Sidharth is an honest and hardworking actor. I’ve been lucky to find co-actors who are easy to connect with. As for Sidharth, it’s one of his finest performances that you’ll see in this movie.”