Shershaah

Vishal Batra delivers a TED Talk recounting the life of his twin brother, Captain Vikram Batra. As a child, Vikram displays a fearless nature, once confronting older boys during a cricket game. Inspired by the television series Param Vir Chakra, he expresses an early desire to join the Indian Army.

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 Combined Defence Services Examination.

Commissioned as a Lieutenant in the 13th Battalion, Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, Vikram is posted to Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir. There, he earns the trust of his unit and the local population. During a counter-insurgency operation, he defies orders to save his commanding officer, Lt. Sanjeev "Jimmy" Jamwal, later developing a close bond with him. When a fellow soldier is killed in an ambush orchestrated by militant Haider, Vikram receives permission from Lt. Col. Y. K. Joshi to lead a retaliatory mission. The operation results in Haider’s death.

As the Kargil War 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 Indian flag 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 "Yeh Dil Maange More!," 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 National Highway 1. Despite rugged terrain and enemy fire, the troops eliminate several enemy bunkers. During the assault, Vikram attempts to rescue a wounded comrade 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 Param Vir Chakra for his bravery.

The film concludes with scenes of Vikram’s funeral in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, and a grieving Dimple. The credits include archival footage of the real Captain Vikram Batra.

In 2018, Karan Johar announced that Dharma Productions would produce a biopic on the life of Captain Vikram Batra.^[12] 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.^[13][12] Several actresses were considered for the role of Dimple Cheema, Vikram's fiancée, before Kiara Advani was finalized for the part.^[14]

Malhotra began military training for the role in April 2019.^[15] Early reports speculated the title to be Mera Dil Maange More, referencing Batra’s iconic radio signal during the Kargil War, but the title was later confirmed as Shershaah, derived from Batra's codename during the conflict.^[16]

The project was officially announced on 2 May 2019, with filming scheduled across multiple locations including Chandigarh, Palampur, Kangra, Kargil, Ladakh, and the Kashmir Valley.^[17] Principal photography began on 7 May 2019 and concluded on 12 January 2020.^[18] Additional patchwork filming was completed on 23 October 2020.^[19]

The film's soundtrack features compositions by Tanishk Bagchi, B Praak, Jasleen Royal, Javed–Mohsin, and Vikram Montrose, with lyrics by Manoj Muntashir, Rashmi Virag, Anvita Dutt, Jaani, and Bagchi.^[20] The original score was composed by John Stewart Eduri. Released by Sony Music India 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 Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Global 200,^[21] 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 Yuvan Shankar Raja.^[22]

Shershaah was initially scheduled for a theatrical release on 3 July 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A revised release date of 2 July 2021 was later announced, though the film was subsequently delayed again.^[23] It eventually premiered on 12 August 2021 on Amazon Prime Video.^[1]

On 31 August 2021, Amazon reported that Shershaah had become the most-watched Indian film on the platform.^[24] The film was streamed in over 4,100 towns and cities across India, and in 210 countries and territories worldwide.^[25]

Shershaah received mostly positive reviews from critics, with particular praise directed towards Sidharth Malhotra's performance, the action sequences, and the film’s emotional tone. However, some critics expressed reservations about its writing and narrative structure.^[5][6] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 50% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.1/10.^[26]

Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama 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.^[27] Anna M. M. Vetticad of Firstpost 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 Kapoor & Sons (2016).^[28] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV awarded the film 2.5 stars out of 5, acknowledging Malhotra's efficiency in portraying Vikram Batra and appreciated the film’s overall impact as a war drama.^[29]

Anupama Chopra of Film Companion noted that while the film struggled with structure and pacing, it gained momentum and emotional strength in the second half.^[30] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, commenting that it lacked the dramatic depth and emotional impact expected from a war narrative.^[31] Rohan Naahar of Hindustan Times lauded the screenplay and Malhotra’s sincerity but criticised director Vishnuvardhan’s uneven handling of the material.^[32]

Several scenes and dialogues in Shershaah 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 TEDx talk he delivered in 2017, with the same title and similar attire.^[39] The film also depicts a symbolic marriage between Vikram Batra and Dimple Cheema, during which Batra walks behind Cheema during a parikrama of the Nishan Sahib. In a 2016 interview with The Quint, 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 Hindu marriage custom.^[40]

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.^[41][42][43]

During the Kargil conflict, Batra recounted in a televised interview with Barkha Dutt 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.^[44][45] The film also includes a scene in which Pakistani troops jokingly demand Madhuri Dixit from Indian forces, a detail corroborated by members of Batra's unit.^[41][42][46]

Following the capture of Point 5140, Shershaah 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.^[47]

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.^{[48][49][50][51][52]} 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.^[48][52]