Vishal Batra, the identical twin of Captain Vikram Batra, PVC, had an emotionally difficult time watching the film Shershaah, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani. The film, directed by Vishnu Varadhan, narrates the story of his braveheart brother who was martyred on the battlefield during the Kargil War, 1999. Talking about the journey of putting this film together, he speaks about the huge void his brother, confidante and friend left behind and more. Excerpts.

It has always been a mixed bag of emotions for me to talk about him. I have been living with those emotions for 22 years. It’s not easy being Vikram’s twin — he was the best brother, confidante and friend. We shared every bit of our life together. It was a moment of pride for my family and me. We wanted every Indian to know his story, to know the man behind the epithet, Shershaah. There hasn’t been a day when we have not spoken about him. And each time we do that, we tend to miss him even more. I’ve contained an emotional havoc inside for years. I had to hold it till the film was over, and let it out somewhere, all alone.

Shabbir Boxwala was the first producer to approach us to make a biopic on my brother. And eventually, Dharma Productions came on board. It was a dream knitted by dad and me in 2015 that we would document my brother’s life. We wanted to put together a book on him which was unveiled in 2018 and make a movie on his life. We wanted to make a film that talks about who Vikram was — his real character, the man behind the title Shershaah, the man inside the uniform. He was a loving Punjabi, who loved to live life kingsize, and typical yaaron ka yaar. He was an amazing sportsperson, too. I was blessed to be his twin. We just told the story to writer Sandeep Shrivastava and the entire team got behind putting the film together. Sidharth, in fact, has had long conversations with me. He didn’t leave any aspect out. I wouldn’t deny that there is about 10-12 per cent cinematic liberty taken in the narrative of the film, but we’re okay with it.

It was not in our hands, and we were more interested in the story and the screenplay. But I clearly remember when we met Sidharth in December 2016, he ended up chatting with my father and me for about three hours. When you engage with someone, you realise certain things about the person. Sidharth is a charismatic boy and a likeable personality and his face does resemble my brother. He is humble and lovable and somewhere when we came back, my father and I thought, ‘Do we need a second choice?’ Subsequently, Sidharth visited our home. He went through all my brother’s things which we have arranged in his museum in the house. He touched and felt everything, as if gauging something. The final choice rested with the producer. When we found out that he is indeed playing Vikram, we were delighted. Sidharth always said that he feels a tremendous sense of responsibility playing Vikram. He wanted to live up to our expectations, and he did.

I met him for what turned out to be the last time on March 9, 1999 when he had returned from his commando training. Vikram and I had both wanted to join the army, but I was not recommended by the board on both occasions. We discussed a movie, Prahaar (1991), which was about commando training. He said the training is several times tougher than what they show in the movies.

The moral of that story was that their life wasn’t easy at all. The last conversations between him and me were four letters from the Kargil war front, dated June 16, June 23, July 2 and the last on July 5. In the letter he wrote about how he did not lose a single officer in his mission. On June 23, he had radioed the message, ‘Yeh dil maange more…’ despite the fact that he was struggling at an altitude of 17000 ft. In his second letter, he assured us that all the men in the troop were taken care of and that has stayed with me forever. He believed in the army and its might. On July 2, he wrote, sensing a rising risk to his life and said that I should take care of mom and dad should something happen to him. He was worried for all of us as much as he was worried for his fellow officers, who were fighting on the battlefield. In the last letter, he left me with his blessings and said that I should hold on to my dreams and keep going. He believed that God will reward me someday. He believed I would do well. He had told me, ‘Kush, dream big and go on’. His words have kept me moving for the last 22 years.

Each time I speak about him, my eyes are moist. No one can fill the void I feel each time I look into the mirror. He did his best on the battlefield, I am doing my best to keep his legacy alive.

She’s a loving person and like a sister to me. I met her on July 2 and on that day, she had told me that they would get married when he comes back. She had asked me, ‘Kush, tu hamari shaadi mein naachega na?’ I had promised her I would. Sharing the news of his demise five days later was extremely painful for me. It was tough on her. Vikram and she were extremely close and what they shared was special.

Director Vishnu Varadhan took an early flight from Delhi to Chennai the day after the family of Captain Vikram Batra, PVC and officials from the armed forces watched Shershaah at a special screening. Reliving the experience of putting the film together, which is releasing on Amazon Prime Video today, he says, “I didn’t get into this film with a preset notion of what I wanted to say. For six months, writer Sandeep Shrivastava and I travelled extensively to conduct our own research for the film. We met Captain Vikram Batra’s family, his friends and fellow officers and more, and gathered all the information we possibly needed to put pen to paper. The idea was to deliver a story which is true to the man’s emotions and is raw and real. When the army officials and Captain Vikram Batra’s father lauded what they saw in the film, I felt we had done our job well.”

Sidharth Malhotra plays Captain Vikram Batra, who was martyred in the 1999 Kargil War. While the actor has been praising the director for his approach to the film, Vishnu believes that it was the effort of his entire star cast that has been instrumental in the way the film has turned out. “Kiara and Sidharth travelled with me when we were researching. Kiara also met Dimple Cheema and had a long chat with her. Sidharth met the Batras, especially Vishal Batra, Captain Vikram Batra’s identical twin. They made their own notes about what they wanted to bring to the table. We were on the same page about not imitating Vikram and Dimple. Instead, we decided to go with the emotions of these characters and play them out appropriately,” he shares.

The film, jointly produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Kaash Entertainment, was shot in Kargil, Palampur and parts of Chandigarh — all the locations where Captain Vikram Batra had once set foot in. Talking about it, Vishnu says, “Probably these things don’t matter to an audience, but they matter to us. It’s a mark of our sincerity towards the story and we’ve turned the locations into credible characters. They are not mere places where an action is taking place. It was overwhelming to revisit Palampur where Captain Vikram Batra grew up and where his final procession took place, the Rock Garden in Chandigarh and all the spots in Kargil where he had been during the war. It’s unbelievable that we even got a chance to shoot in Kargil at 12000 to 14000 ft above sea-level. I could write a book about shooting the film in Kargil. It was scary and yet, something that left us all overwhelmed. I am thankful for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The process of making this film has changed my perspective towards life forever and what the armed officials do for us every day of our lives.”

Sidharth Malhotra will start the shoot at a college in Chandigarh
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 25, 2019)

Sidharth Malhotra’s Vikram Batra biopic is gearing up to go on the floors in April. It will take off in Chandigarh. “Sid will start off shooting the college portions at DAV College where Vikram studied. From there the shoot will move to Palampur where the captain lived with his family,” informs a source close to the development, adding the film is likely to be titled Kargil’s Sher Shah, the title given to the officer in the intercepted messages of the Pakistan army. The war potions will be shot in Kashmir and Leh towards the year-end with the actor going in for a look change. Sidharth will also be playing Vikram’s twin brother, Vishal.

Debutant director Vishnu Varadhan has completed his recce and got the necessary permissions. His leading man will be training with real army men once he wraps up Nikkhil Advani’s Marjaavaan which he is currently filming in Mumbai.

The makers are scouting for an actress to play the role of Vikram’s girlfriend Dimple Cheema. Dimple along with Vikram’s family has been helping the team with their research. The project is being co-produced by Dharma Productions and Shabbir Boxwala. Captain Vikram Batra was 24 when he died in the Kargil war. He was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest military honour.

The actor’s biopic on Captain Vikram Batra rolls in June; the late soldier’s twin brother and girlfriend are also on board
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 15, 2018)

After Neeraj Pandey’s Aiyaary, Sidharth Malhotra is set to return to Kashmir. The actor’s next, a biopic on the late Kargil war hero Captain Vikram Batra, is scheduled to go on the floors this June. Titled Kargil: Sher Shah, the Captain’s code name during the war, the film will also be shot in Ladakh, Chandigarh and the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun.

“Sidharth has been in touch with Vikram’s twin brother, Vishal, who is on board to offer inputs to the story. His girlfriend Dimple Cheema has also helped the team with the research as, besides Vikram’s valour, the film will also explore their love story. The team is aiming to wrap up the film by the year-end,” a source reveals. “Prep will include training in horse-riding and shooting. Sidharth will play the double role of Vikram and Vishal.”

Vikram was born in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, and was the older of the twins. When the war broke out, the 24-year-old officer’s unit received orders to move to Kargil. Eighteen days later, on June 19, 1999, he was ordered to recapture Point 5140 in his first major battle. The enemy camp was routed, their soldiers killed and 13 J&K Rifles’ (infantry regiment of the Indian Army) victory strengthened India’s hold. His triumphant war cry, “Yeh dil maange more,” grabbed headlines.

The mission was almost over when a junior officer injured his legs in an explosion. Vikram rushed out of the bunker to rescue him. He was lunging to lift his mate when he was hit by a bullet in his chest. Captain Vikram Batra was honoured with the Param Vir Chakra a month after India won the war.