Showing posts with label Vishnu Varadhan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vishnu Varadhan. Show all posts
After watching Shershaah, people are saying Sidharth Malhotra is irreplaceable-Vishnu Varadhan
8:23 AM
Stating that casting played a key role in the success of Sidharth Malhotra’s Shershaah, director on avoiding jingoistic tone for Captain Vikram Batra’s biopic
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; August 25, 2021)
At a time when Bollywood, like the majority of the country’s population, equates jingoism to patriotism, Shershaah comes as a refreshing change of pace. The credit goes to director Vishnu Varadhan who shunned chest-thumping nationalism, instead humanely telling the story of Kargil War hero Captain Vikram Batra. “It was a conscious effort [to avoid jingoism]. Patriotism reflects in your actions, not in your words. When you see the film, it should evoke a sense of patriotism,” says the Tamil film director, who forayed into Hindi cinema with the biopic.
If the filmmaker offered a worthy tribute to the national hero who was martyred at 24, Sidharth Malhotra matched him skill for skill, delivering his finest performance so far. “When you get your casting right, 50 per cent of the battle is won. I understand people [want to cast] stars, but Sid is an actor first. [As a person], he is close to how Vikram was. I couldn’t think of anybody other than him. After watching the film, people are saying he is irreplaceable. The truth is that Sid was approached first, and he has done complete justice to the role.”
The director is humbled by the praise pouring in for the Amazon Prime Video offering. However, the perfectionist in him admits that whenever he watches the film, he wishes he had done a few things differently. “I would like to reshoot the whole film,” he jokes, before adding, “Creativity is never-ending. Often, after I finish my day’s shoot, I feel like doing it all over again. There is nothing wrong [with the scenes shot], but I keep wanting to make it perfect.”
Of all the appreciation coming his way, the filmmaker holds producer Karan Johar’s praise closest to his heart. “Karan said, ‘I am so proud of this film. You have gone [above and] beyond with this movie.’ I am touched by people’s love, but the most important thing is when your producer says that he is proud of [the endeavour].”
The war drama has led to a deep friendship between the two. “I will definitely do another film with Karan,” he promises.
Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra travelled with me when we were researching-Vishnu Varadhan
8:47 AM
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; August 12, 2021)
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.”
Emotions ran high at the special Shershaah screening in Delhi for armed forces & Batra family
8:06 AM
BOMBAY TIMES (August 11, 2021)
The journey of bringing the incredible story of Captain Vikram Batra, PVC — the real-life hero who was martyred in the 1999 Kargil war — to the screen has indeed been an emotional one for the Batra family. Ahead of the world premiere of Shershaah on Amazon Prime Video, the film’s cast gathered with the Indian Army, friends and family of Captain Vikram Batra for a special screening in the capital city. Held in honour of the martyred war hero, the screening was attended by Vishal Batra, twin brother of the real-life Shershaah, Captain Vikram Batra and his parents Girdhari Lal Batra and Kamal Kanta Batra, alongside General MM Naravane - Chief of Army Staff, Lt General CP Mohanty - Vice Chief Of Army Staff, Lt General Sanjeev Kumar Sharma - Deputy Chief of Army Staff and actor Sidharth Malhotra’s friends and family.
Bolstered by the presence of the members of the Indian Army and the Batra family, the screening was a special and intimate affair that not only honoured the legacy of Captain Vikram Batra, but also served as an ode to the dedication and commitment of our armed forces. With the reel and real-life Shershaah’s family and close friends in attendance, the screening was an emotional homage to the braveheart who played a pivotal part in India’s victory at the Kargil War. Apart from the lead actors Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani, director Vishnu Varadhan, producer Shabbir Boxwalla of Kaash Entertainment and writer Sandeep Shrivastava were seen in attendance. The film also features Shiv Panditt, Raj Arjun, Pranay Pachauri, Himanshu Ashok Malhotra, Nikitin Dheer, Anil Charanjeett, Sahil Vaid, Shataf Figar and Pawan Chopra in pivotal roles.
Jointly produced by Dharma Productions and Kaash Entertainment, Shershaah is all set to premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on August 12.
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HINDUSTAN TIMES (August 11, 2021)
The journey of bringing Captain Vikram Batra’s incredible story to the screen has been an emotional one for the Batra family. A day before the world premiere of Shershaah on Amazon Prime Video, the cast of the film gathered with the Indian Army along with friends and family of Capt Batra for a special screening in the Capital.
Held in honour of the martyred war hero, the screening was attended by Vishal Batra, twin brother of the real-life Shershaah and his parents, Girdhari Lal Batra and Kamal Kanta Batra, alongside General MM Naravane, Chief of Army Staff, Lt General CP Mohanty, Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Sanjiv Sharma, Deputy Chief of Army Staff and actor Sidharth Malhotra’s friends and family.
The screening was a special and intimate affair that not only honoured the legacy of Capt Batra, who played a pivotal part in India’s victory at the Kargil War, but also served as an ode to the dedication and commitment of our Armed Forces.
Apart from lead actors Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani, director Vishnu Varadhan, producer Shabbir Boxwala of Kaash Entertainment and writer Sandeep Shrivastava were seen in attendance.
Directed by Vishnu Varadhan, the film also features Shiv Panditt, Raj Arjun, Pranay Pachauri, Himanshu Ashok Malhotra, Nikitin Dheer, Anil Charanjeett, Sahil Vaid, Shataf Figar and Pawan Chopra in pivotal roles. Jointly produced by Dharma Productions and Kaash Entertainment, the film is all set to premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on August 12.
Vikram Batra biopic to go on floors in April
2:35 PM
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.
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