Shershaah

<p>Vishal Batra delivers a recounting the life of his twin brother, . As a child, Vikram displays a fearless nature, once confronting older boys during a cricket game. Inspired by the television series , he expresses an early desire to join the . While studying English literature in college, Vikram is selected for the Merchant Navy, a decision that pleases his girlfriend Dimple Cheema but leaves him conflicted. Opposed by Dimple’s father due to caste differences, the couple’s relationship faces resistance. Ultimately, Vikram decides to pursue his original ambition and joins the Indian Army through the . Commissioned as a in the 13th Battalion, , Vikram is posted to , . There, he earns the trust of his unit and the local population. During a operation, he defies orders to save his , Lt. Sanjeev “Jimmy” Jamwal, later developing a close bond with him. When a fellow soldier is killed in an orchestrated by Haider, Vikram receives permission from to lead a retaliatory mission. The operation results in Haider’s death. As the begins in May 1999, Vikram cuts short his vacation and rejoins his unit. He famously tells a friend, “I’ll either come back after hoisting the in victory or wrapped in it. But I’ll return for sure.” The unit is deployed to the Ghumri base and eventually tasked with recapturing Point 5140. Using the codename “Shershaah” and the victory signal ” ,” Vikram leads a successful assault without casualties, earning public and military recognition. He is promoted to the rank of Captain. Following this success, the unit is assigned to capture Point 4875, a strategic peak overlooking . Despite rugged terrain and enemy fire, the troops eliminate several enemy . During the assault, Vikram attempts to rescue a wounded under heavy fire and is fatally shot. As he succumbs to his injuries, he watches his unit continue the charge and raise the Indian flag. He is posthumously awarded the for his bravery. The film concludes with scenes of Vikram’s funeral in , and a grieving Dimple. The credits include archival footage of the real Captain Vikram Batra. In 2018, announced that Dharma Productions would produce a biopic on the life of Captain . The Batra family expressed their wish for Sidharth Malhotra to portray Vikram, leading to his casting in the dual role of both Vikram Batra and his identical twin brother, Vishal Batra. Several actresses were considered for the role of Dimple Cheema, Vikram’s fiancée, before was finalized for the part. Malhotra began military training for the role in April 2019. Early reports speculated the title to be , referencing Batra’s iconic radio signal during the Kargil War, but the title was later confirmed as , derived from Batra’s codename during the conflict. The project was officially announced on 2 May 2019, with filming scheduled across multiple locations including , , , , , and the . began on 7 May 2019 and concluded on 12 January 2020. Additional patchwork filming was completed on 23 October 2020. The film’s soundtrack features compositions by , , , , and , with lyrics by , , , , and Bagchi. The original score was composed by John Stewart Eduri. Released by on 16 August 2021, the album emerged as one of the most commercially successful soundtracks of the year. It crossed one billion streams across music platforms, becoming the fastest Indian film album to reach the milestone. The songs “Raataan Lambiyan” and “Ranjha” charted on both the and , and consistently topped national and international music and video rankings. The track “Mann Bharrya 2.0” is a reimagined version of B Praak’s 2017 single “Mann Bharrya,” recreated by the original team including singer B Praak and lyricist-composer Jaani. The soundtrack marked a departure for director Vishnuvardhan, as it was the first of his films not to feature music by longtime collaborator . was initially scheduled for a theatrical release on 3 July 2020, but was postponed due to the . A revised release date of 2 July 2021 was later announced, though the film was subsequently delayed again. It eventually premiered on 12 August 2021 on Amazon Prime Video. On 31 August 2021, Amazon reported that had become the most-watched Indian film on the platform. The film was streamed in over 4,100 towns and cities across India, and in 210 countries and territories worldwide. received mostly positive reviews from critics, with particular praise directed towards ‘s performance, the action sequences, and the film’s emotional tone. However, some critics expressed reservations about its writing and narrative structure. On the website , 50% of 14 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.1/10. of rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, calling it “power-packed” and described it as “a game changer for Malhotra.” He praised the execution of the war sequences and the emotional finale. of gave the film 2.75 out of 5 stars, describing it as “gripping as an Army procedural” and considered Malhotra’s performance as his best since (2016). of awarded the film 2.5 stars out of 5, acknowledging Malhotra’s efficiency in portraying and appreciated the film’s overall impact as a war drama. of noted that while the film struggled with structure and pacing, it gained momentum and emotional strength in the second half. of gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, commenting that it lacked the dramatic depth and emotional impact expected from a war narrative. Rohan Naahar of lauded the screenplay and Malhotra’s sincerity but criticised director Vishnuvardhan’s uneven handling of the material. Several scenes and dialogues in are based on real-life incidents, though some dramatizations and alterations were made for cinematic purposes. The opening scene, in which Vishal Batra gives a talk about his brother’s life, mirrors the talk he delivered in 2017, with the same title and similar attire. The film also depicts a symbolic marriage between Vikram Batra and Dimple Cheema, during which Batra walks behind Cheema during a of the . In a 2016 interview with , Cheema recounted the incident, noting that Batra had called her “Mrs. Batra” after completing the ritual. She also confirmed that he once filled the parting in her hair with his blood, referencing a custom. The line attributed to Batra in the film—”I’ll either come back after raising the Indian flag in victory or return wrapped in it. But I’ll come for sure”—was confirmed by Vishal Batra as having been said to a friend, though the recipient of the quote remains disputed. During the Kargil conflict, Batra recounted in a televised interview with that Pakistani soldiers addressed him over the radio with: “Oh Shershaah, you’ve come. Don’t try to come up, otherwise you’ll have a tough time.” He described how this challenge energized his unit. The film also includes a scene in which Pakistani troops jokingly demand from Indian forces, a detail corroborated by members of Batra’s unit. Following the capture of Point 5140, shows Batra using a journalist’s satellite phone to call Dimple Cheema. In reality, he used the phone to call his father and was only able to say, “Daddy, I’ve captured…” before the call was cut off. His family initially mistook the message to mean he had been captured. In the battle for Point 4875, the film portrays Batra charging a bunker and killing three enemy soldiers in close combat. Eyewitness accounts confirm that Batra killed five enemy soldiers and sustained multiple gunshot wounds during the assault. The film dramatizes his death, showing him living long enough to witness the victory. However, in reality, Batra died instantly after being struck by sniper fire and did not survive to see the post captured.</p>