Vishal Batra, with his wife Dr Apara Sharma and daughter Aadya at Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani’s wedding reception

Captain Vikram Batra sacrificed his life on the battlefield during the Kargil War in 1999 at the age of 24. His death left his love story with the love of his life, Dimple Cheema, incomplete. In a strange twist of fate, the actors who essayed their parts on the screen in Shershaah (Captain Vikram Batra’s biopic) — Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani — tied the knot recently. Captain Vikram Batra’s twin brother Vishal Batra, along with his wife, Dr Apara Sharma and daughter Aadya, graced the reception in Mumbai.

During the making of Shershaah, Sidharth and Vishal became friends, and the latter says that he experienced a gamut of emotions when he attended Sidharth and Kiara’s wedding celebrations. “I met Sidharth in December 2015 when the idea of the movie came up. We have been in touch regularly despite the fact that the movie released two years ago, and he is a good friend now. It was lovely of him to invite us. For me, it was also a feeling that I couldn’t see Vikram’s wedding… It took me through various emotions, and being an identical twin, it’s something that can’t be explained in words. We got a message from Kiara, too, saying they are looking forward to us attending the wedding,” says Vishal.

Ask Vishal whether he was aware of the wedding plans, and he says, “I never spoke to Sidharth about it. Shabbir bhai (Shabbir Boxwala, co-producer of Shershaah) did tell me they were planning to get married. I think they got closer because of the movie, and I am very happy they got married. The real Vikram and Dimple could not get married, but the reel Vikram and Dimple have, and that is a lovely feeling. Our blessings are with them. They are a lovely couple. They are two wonderful individuals, and I have never interacted with them as stars. Recently, Sidharth even called me and asked me to attend the trailer launch of Mission Majnu in Delhi. He said, ‘I want you here with me’. It’s a brotherly feeling; otherwise, why do I need to be there for the launch.”

On her wedding day, Kiara walked to the mandap to the tune of the track Ranjha from Shershaah, which was specially rewritten for the special moment. Getting emotional, several people on social media commented and said that this, in a way, is the happy conclusion that Captain Vikram Batra and Dimple Cheema’s love story deserved.

“I have been reading some things,” says Vishal, adding, “This is a way for people to shower their love. They saw an image of Vikram in Sidharth. People draw a lot of courage from Vikram’s acts. They got to know his story – his bravery and his love story – through the film. Vikram left us so early, but this couple got close because of Vikram and Dimple’s life, it’s only right that people shower love on them.”

Though the film released two years ago, people often approach Vishal to share memories of his brother. Talking about Captain Vikram Batra, who was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously, Vishal says, “If you remember, the film begins with a brother narrating his brother’s life. I had done a Ted Talk, after which people would approach me to speak about him. Now, after the film, it’s a lot more. I have always believed the real person who deserved it all was Vikram Batra. It is a lot of emotional burden on me… to live that life for the last 25 years. I always wish he was here to see what he has done for the country. At the end of the day, we are all narrators. I wish he were here to speak about his experiences.”

He further adds, “Sidharth did absolute justice to the role, and so did Kiara. Yes, Vikram’s physical absence continues to haunt me a lot, but look how he has created a name for himself, and he continues to live. Next year, he will complete 25 years of his sacrifice and people still remember him. I always have these mixed emotions where I feel sad and miss my brother, but also feel extremely proud of him.”