Captain Vikram Batra was all of 24 when he laid down his life in the Kargil War in 1999. The stories of his bravery and the catchphrase ‘Yeh Dil Maange More’ used by him as code to relay the capture of Point 5140 on the Tololing Ridge have inspired soldiers and awed the citizens of our country over the last two decades. He called Palampur in Himachal Pradesh his home, where he lived with his parents, twin Vishal Batra and sisters. During his college days, he fell in love with Dimple Cheema, who chose to stay unmarried after Captain Vikram Batra’s death on the battlefield. The Batra family felt Sidharth Malhotra resembled their son, who was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously, and hoped that he would essay the part in the biopic on Captain Vikram Batra’s life.

The actor took the plunge wholeheartedly and focused on the film right from its inception. The movie Shershaah, which is jointly produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Kaash Entertainment, will premiere globally on Amazon Prime Video on August 12. Calling the film his “first passion project”, Sidharth talks about why this is more than another commercial venture for him, the challenges he faced to see the project get made with the same passion that he had and how doing justice to the expectations of the martyr’s family is a huge responsibility. Excerpts:

Yes, it’s a huge responsibility and it’s a great matter of pride to play a national hero. Captain Vikram Batra laid down his life for all of us, and for that matter, that holds true for all martyrs. This is a film for them, and we owe it to them to remind the people of India of the kind of sacrifices the Armed Forces make so that we can live in a democracy. That’s the pressure and responsibility that comes with this kind of a role and one has to accept it.

It’s such an incredible life story of a real-life hero that it’s close to impossible to accommodate everything in two hours. He was predominantly a very lovable Punjabi guy, who eventually became a great leader. We concentrated on how Captain Vikram Batra became Shershaah. He gave the last many years of his life to the country, so we have focussed on that. My approach as an actor was to focus on the specific qualities he displayed. For instance, we have a particular scene from his college days which brings out an aspect of his personality, then we go on the battlefield, where we show his leadership qualities and ability to inspire, laugh at danger and move ahead with confidence. The film shows jhalaks and moments from his life. We hope that through the film, people understand the various aspects of his personality.

When Vishal Batra (Captain Vikram Batra’s twin brother) met me with (producer) Shabbir Boxwala, it was a completely different team with a much bigger script. I told them that we need to work more on this, and get a better version of it. We spent almost two years in that process, and I kind of took over this film, saying I want to make it in a certain way. Then we got Sandeep Srivastava as a writer, Vishnu Varadhan to direct the film and Kiara Advani to play Dimple Cheema (Captain Vikram Batra’s fiancée) on board. Since I was involved with the film from a very early stage, I am far more attached to this film. Shershaah is my first passion project. I approached Dharma Productions to back it, so there was no need for me to produce it. But if that hadn’t worked out, I would have definitely been involved as a producer because I wanted to retain the authenticity of the project. I didn’t look at the film from a commercial point of view. Firstly, because of the amount of time that I have spent on it, and also because when I met the Batra family, I just felt a connect with them immediately.

When I met them, it was an emotionally-charged moment for everyone. I felt this could be my family. I come from a similar cultural background, and it could very well be my uncles and aunts there. My grandfather was a part of the Armed Forces and fought in the Indo-China War, I could have very well joined the Indian Army if I wasn’t an actor. My daadu got injured on the battlefield and took early retirement. My family has seen the kind of sacrifice that the Armed Forces have to make. You know, two years after I was approached for the project, I had a conversation with Vishal Batra when I expressed that the film needs to be in better hands. He was gracious enough to give me that responsibility and trust me with it. That’s why I am so emotionally attached to the film and I feel I owe it to the family to ensure that their brave son’s life story is portrayed authentically. It was always on my mind that for their family this is not just a film, it’s the life story of their brave son and brother, and I am extremely anxious to know what the family says and thinks when they see the complete film.

I must tell you that most of the dialogues spoken in the film are close to what Captain Vikram Batra said. That’s because of some great research by Sandeep Srivastava, our writer. When you see interviews of his comrades and juniors, they would often say, ‘Yaar, jab Batra saab lead karte hai hume bahut confidence milta hai. Woh aage se lead karenge aur humein batayenge ke kya karna hai.’ He had that love from all his subordinates. They trusted him with their life. They knew that he would put his life on the line for them. That was the quality that earned him the name Shershaah. It’s one thing to give directions, but he really walked the talk. You might think that some dialogues are very filmi, but he was also a very filmi person in real life. He was very influenced by Hindi films at that time, and he showed it, whether it was in his love story or dealing with his comrades.

Their love story makes you believe in love. They committed to each other in college, and unfortunately, he passed away and she chose not to marry and live with the love that she felt for him. In today’s day and age, it makes you believe in true love. It’s a unique story of that first love, which is innocent and pure. I feel it adds to the appeal of the film because most of what you see is true.

Back then, I lived in Delhi and we would often watch the news about the Kargil War on TV. I remember seeing these jhalaks of the famous interview of Captain Vikram Batra on TV, which is an iconic interview. It’s a surreal feeling that 15 years later, I am living and playing the person who I saw on the television screen of my house so many years ago. It’s been a long journey. I learnt that it was nowhere close to what I saw on television. There was so much more to be told.

We are all going through tough times because of the pandemic. This is the new norm. I look at it from the point of view that this film is so special to me that I want the maximum number of people to see it at one point. Today, that’s only possible through Amazon Prime Video, where people can watch the film from the comfort and safety of their home, and not just in India, but around the world. Something that probably wouldn’t have been possible with a theatrical release. The digital release will give us a massive reach, and that’s what every actor and creative person wants.

I hope the film inspires the youth. Captain Vikram Batra was only 24 when he sacrificed his life for the country. With this film, what comes into focus for the younger generation is to find that one thing that can inspire and drive you in your 20s; it could be anything. The question you need to ask yourself is, do you feel passionately about anything in your life at 24? If you do, then give it your all and it will manifest itself.