Shooting a war film is always a challenging proposition for filmmakers and actors. The terrain, the weather and accessibility to the location, there are many issues that a crew has to battle. The team of Shershaah faced all this and more. But the blood and sweat have all been worth it, says Sidharth Malhotra, who essays the part of the dynamic Captain Vikram Batra in the film that is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.

Talking about the film’s schedule in Ladakh, he says, “We are the first Indian film to shoot at Kargil and that too, at a place which is just a few kilometers away from where the actual war was fought. We were shooting at about 14,000 feet above sea level, where the oxygen levels are low, and the winds are mighty. The mountains are devoid of any greenery. As a film crew, it was challenging to get the equipment on top. It was physically strenuous for the crew. We were even wearing the kind of snow boots that the Indian Army uses to make it look authentic.”

The actor says he got a glimpse of what the Army officers battle on a daily basis. “I am looking at this from a filmmaking point of view, but it makes you realise how our soldiers have it so difficult, and they never get retakes in real life. As an actor, these are massive challenges you face. If you or someone else slips and falls, it could lead to a serious injury. But all those things have lent to a film that has been made in an organic manner. We had very few set-ups. It was pretty much us, the guns and the script.”

Sidharth, who shot pivotal portions of the film Shershaah in Ladakh, is overwhelmed by the help that his team received from the Army officers.

He says, “We can’t thank the Indian Army enough for providing us with a lot of facilities. The guns you see us using on screen are actual ones with fake bullets. The gear, the equipment, all of it is very close to what it actually was during the Kargil War. When I returned to Kargil with the trailer of the film on Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations, it was an emotional moment for me. To get a nod of approval from the top brass of the Indian Army was such a surreal experience. To see it (the trailer) with the families who lost their loved ones in the Kargil was special. I am sure it must’ve been difficult for them to watch, but their approval meant a lot. It made all the blood, sweat and effort into the film worthwhile.”