Sidharth Malhotra shares a rather personal connection with his “labour of love”, Shershaah. Ask the actor about it and he says that the film hits home for more reasons than one. “My grandfather got injured at the Indo-China war and took an early retirement. My father is an Army brat and he has seen my grandfather serve. He’s just happy that one of his son has become a pretend Army soldier and is playing this amazing character,” he says.

While feedback from the audience and the critics matter, what he is looking forward to the most is a positive nod from his and Captain Vikram Batra’s family: “My father knows what sacrifices one has to make to serve their country. I hope Captain Batra’s family thinks that I’ve done justice to his story,” he reveals.

Industry insiders believe that Shershaah is going to be a game-changer for him. “I don’t think one film can make or break me as an actor,” asserts the 36-year-old, elaborating, “My trajectory has taught me that my highs are short-lived and so are the lows. I believe in putting my best foot forward. But with Shershaah, I’ve given slightly more of my life to it.”

He says it’s the responsibility of makers to stick to facts in films based on real life. “We’ve taken some cinematic liberties but 90% of it is authentic. We were also very cautious about not diving into any political aspect,” he ends.