Sidharth Malhotra: 'I felt this could very well be my family'

Sidharth, you were the starting point for the story of Captain Batra coming to screen.

Yes. Fortunately for me, about five years ago, the Batra family approached me and said they would like me to portray their son on screen. After a while, Dharma Productions came on board and then we got this amazing team presenting the film, which includes Vishnu, Kiara and the rest of the cast and crew. That is why I am slightly more emotionally charged and attached to this material because I have seen it since its inception and I just hope that, the commercials aside, it gets the correct message across and people see the film for having its heart in the right place and see it as the inspiring heroic life story of Captain Vikram Batra, called Shershaah.

Sidharth, your grandfather served in the Indian Army. Was this of some help when you were preparing for the part of Captain Batra?

I was very young when my grandfather passed away, but my grandmother narrated all the incidents about his experiences. He fought in the Indo-China war where he got injured and thereafter had to retire from service. So the family has seen anxiety and the dark side of battlefields, just the way Vikram Batra’s family or Dimple's family must have felt. The reason I feel even more obligated towards the Batra family is that I felt this could very well be my family, maybe because of the cultural background of Delhi and my grandfather's army service. So I feel a far greater responsibility to portray this story in the best possible way, to capture the essence of this true-born hero and all the martyrs of the Kargil War who gave their lives for us.

Sidharth Malhotra and Vishnuvardhan (right) during the shooting of 'Shershaah'.

Vishnu, this is your debut Hindi film. How did you go about designing and filming the action and war scenes?

It was very interesting because we had two action directors Stefan Richter and Sunil Rodrigues choreographing the war scenes. The action in the film is referenced from actual events. When we met the officers who had fought beside Vikram Batra in the war, everyone had interesting facts of what happened. That was the story of the war and those stories dictated the action. It was intense, so we decided to treat the action as close to reality as possible. The rugged terrain helped. We were shooting with sharp rock edges and along a steep slope. Fighting on an incline is all the more challenging, so when filming I have to document it and feel like I am right in there. Filming an entire action sequence together was also very difficult because oxygen is so scarce up in Kargil-Ladakh. The camera was yet another soldier travelling along with us. You feel the ruggedness and feel the realness.

When you are directing a biopic about a hero from the armed forces, what are the main points you have to keep in mind?

Firstly, we either make stories on known legends or we look at stories of unknown heroes. In either case, what they have accomplished becomes their identity. In the case of Vikram Batra, it was the way he and his battalion captured Point 5140 and Point 4875, the two most important features, which led to the the end of the war over the next two days. So while looking at that event, we explore what made him do that, how strongly he believed in his cause, his leadership qualities, and all that led him to lay down his life. You have to keep all this in mind while doing a biopic like this because that is the story that is going to inspire generations to come. Along with this, we have to consider the people who supported him. The people behind and around help make heroes. We are also dealing with 13^th Battalion Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, the battalion where he served and the Indian Army. So there are many layers and branches that need to be added on.

There is also Vikram Batra and Dimple’s (played by Kiara Advani) love story.

Yes, and this love story is unique. He had a huge impact on her and they shared a very special trust and love such that even now, she is single. When it comes to his life, you cannot overlook this aspect of the story at all.

Were you sensitive to drawing a fine line between patriotism and jingoism?

Vishnu: We were very clear from day one. Patriotism is in actions not in words. Every soldier is patriotic. They demonstrate this by protecting the borders and protecting us. Vikram Batra’s story is one of emotion. You feel the way he feels and the way he acts and reacts to certain situations convey his patriotism. The story conveys patriotism, and we were clear that we should not go jingoistic but be as true as possible. At the end of the day, the audience should feel for the character, and the resultant feeling should be patriotism.