Shershaah is a well-made war saga that gives a great tribute to the sacrifice of Captain Vikram Batra. The film starts on a thrilling note and sets the mood. The war episode starts late but even before that, the film has a lot of entertaining and gripping moments that keep the interest going and shows the growth of Vikram. The romantic track is a bit weak and also, a few developments in the first half are confusing. The film stagnates in the middle of the second hour but the finale is very moving. The film ends on a great note and the tribute to the soldiers of Vikram Batra’s regiment is just apt. Special mention here should go to writer Sandeep Shrivastava and director Vishnu Vardhan; both did their jobs very well. Speaking of performances, Sidharth Malhotra delivers the finest performance of his career. The actor gets into the skin of his character and gets his act just right. It’s sad that this film, which would have given a tremendous boost to Sidharth’s career, is not being released in cinemas. Kiara Advani is lovely in a brief role and even she has evolved. Shiv Panditt (Lieutenant Sanjeev Jamwal) looks dashing and gives a fine performance. Anil Charanjeett (Naib Sudebar Bansi Lal Sharma), Raj Arjun (Subedar Raghunath), Abhiroy Singh (Major Subrata Mukherjee), Nikitin Dheer (Major Ajay Jasrotia aka Jassi) and Shataf Figar (Lt Col Y K Joshi) are very memorable in their respective parts. Sahil Vaid is there for a limited time but leaves a mark. Zahoor Zaidi (Gafoor) and Afnan Ashia (Arslaan) are fair. Bijay J Anand (Dimple’s father) is decent. Krishnay Batra (Junior Vikram Batra) and Kavay Tuteja (Junior Vishal Batra) are sweet. All in all, Shershaah is an ideal Independence Day flick. Lastly, kudos to producers Karan Johar and Shabbir Boxwala for backing this film and giving it the scale, support and buzz that it rightfully deserves!

My rating - *** ½ out of 5!