Shershaah Review: The Story Of Kargil Hero’s Patriotism And Bravery, Siddharth Malhotra Showed His Power

Director: Vishnu Varadhan

Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani, Sahid Vaid and Shiv Pandit

Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video

Rating: 4/5 (four stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

It is often shuddering to see stories of patriotism and war zone. When the story is of Captain Vikram Batra, who was martyred in the Kargil war, then the expectations from the film are also evident. While the story of ‘Shershaah ‘ brings tears to the eyes, on the other hand Vikram Batra’s bravery and silliness inspires. The film has some shortcomings, which slightly affect the impact of the story, but the film manages to reach the climax. This film is dedicated to all those 527 martyrs who got our land back by sacrificing their lives.

Even before this, films have been made on the Kargil war and people are not even aware of the martyrdom of Captain Vikram Batra. In such a situation, two things were very important to keep the film attached to the film for two hours and fifteen minutes – the director’s style of presenting the story and the truth and impeccability in Sidharth Malhotra’s acting. The good thing is that the film has been good in both the aspects.

Shershaah Review: The Story

The story begins with Vishal Batra, where he narrates the story of his brother Vikram Batra to the world in a talk show. Vikram Batra of Palampur had only one dream since childhood, to join the army. Chasing his dream, Vikram enrolled in the Indian Military Academy in the year 1996. After training, Vikram Batra was appointed as a lieutenant in the 13th Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles at the age of 23. He was an extrovert with an open heart, due to which he would soon win over anyone. At the same time, Vikram Batra had also shown his bravery on different occasions.

Coming back for the Kargil war after canceling his leave from home, Vikram tells his friend, “Either I will come waving the tricolor, or I will come wrapped in the Indian Flag, but I will definitely come…”. Through flashbacks, we get to see Vikram’s romance with Dimple (Kiara Advani), a Sikh girl in college life. While, the rest of the film revolves around how Vikram Batra fought India against the Pakistan Army in Kargil. played an important role in the victory of And during the war, he was martyred while saving the life of a wounded soldier. Vikram Batra led the 13th Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles in the Kargil War. During this war he was given the codename of ‘Shershaah ‘ and he kept the code of victory – ‘Yeh Dil Maange More’.

The Review and Analysis

The script and dialogues of the film are written by Sandeep Srivastava. The script of Sandeep Srivastava’s is able to give the audience a good cinematic experience without distorting the realities. The script of ‘Shershaah ‘ has been prepared without being pushed into over melodrama like in other Bollywood films which have told a similar story. There is nothing unnecessary in the film that tells the story of Batra’s love and official life. It is also noteworthy that no one in the family, including Vikram’s twin brother, has been given undue prominence. The screenplay is structured in such a way that it moves forward without boring the audience at all and only focuses on what is needed.

The director has narrated the story through the words of Vikram Batra’s twin brother Vishal. It did not take long for the director to connect the audience with the character of Vikram Batra and his life. Director Vishnu Varadhan was successful in directing the film without alienating the audience from the track. ‘Uri’ stood out from the typical Bollywood military films. Everyone compares later films in the same genre to ‘Uri’. Using the same yardstick to measure shares is not the right move.

Punch dialogues are usually given prominence when making films based on such topics. The patriotic dialogues of the characters can be seen in most of the scenes in such films. The recently released Ajay Devgn movie ‘Buzz’ is an example, the dialogues in the trailer of this movie are overdosed!
That’s where Shershaah  stands apart. There is a dialogue in the film that Siddharth says – “I am not here to shout and convince you of patriotism, that is why you are all patriots here.”

The film manages to entertain as well as inform. The director is not trying to glorify patriotism, he is trying to bring it to experience. While Vikram Batra’s love story is presented in a very heartfelt manner, it is noteworthy that it does not detract from the intensity of the battle scenes. VFX is also well handled as needed.

Shershaah Review: The Performances

Talking about acting, Siddharth Malhotra has done a good job in the character of Vikram Batra. His hard work is visible behind playing this character in every scene. Be it his romantic scenes with Kiara or the Kargil war, Sidharth has maintained a rhythm in his acting. There is no doubt that this is Siddharth’s best film in terms of performance. At the same time, Kiara has done a good job in the character of Dimple Cheema. His simplicity wins hearts. Sharf Figure, Shiv Pandit, Himmashu Malhotra, Sahil Vaid are commendable in their characters.

The actor has been able to bring about a marked change in Vikram, who loves the character of Dimple, and Vikram, who is ‘Shershaah’. The film is one of the best roles of Siddharth’s career. Kiara Advani’s remarkable performance this time too. The dialogues of the character of Sardarini are also well presented by the actress. The chemistry between Siddharth and Kiara is beautiful and heartwarming. Siddharth and Kiara were able to turn the film into a love story beyond what the audience expected from a war film.

Direction and Technical Aspects

Director Vishnu Varadhan made his directorial debut in Hindi films with this film. Earlier he has made films like Arinthum Ariyamalam, Pattiyal, Billa, Sarvam in the South. In Shershaah, the director has included Vikram Batra’s valor during the war as well as his romantic angle in the film. Vikram Batra and Dimple spent some beautiful months together in Chandigarh. But how deep their relationship was, it is estimated in the scene when Dimple looks at Vikram with eyes full of Kargil war. That moment stings you too. There is a simplicity in the pairing of Siddharth and Kiara. At the same time, Vikram’s aggressive attitude on the battlefield shows a different aspect of his personality. Talking about the war scenes of Shershaah , Vishnu Varadhan has done a great job.

Kamaljit Negi’s cinematography is excellent. Telling a story that people already know… it could have been very risky. But Sandeep Srivastava’s candid writing kept the film hooked. The special thing is that the writer-director has maintained authenticity in the story. A scene where a Pakistani soldier taunts Batra and asks him to hand him over to Madhuri Dixit or Vikram backs out one of his companions saying, ‘Your wife is a child’ ‘Tum Hat Jao’ and exposes himself to enemies, writer Sandeep Srivastava has incorporated many real incidents into the film.

The film is 2 hours 15 minutes long and that too has a positive side. Editor A Sreekar Prasad hasn’t let the story of the film get off track. Talking about the weak aspects of the film, it is the sound design, which has been given by Sohail Sunwari. Sound design is an important aspect of the war film, which also helps in maintaining the thrill in the story, but this side of Shershaah  is weak. Also, the film lacks an exciting twist i.e. surprise elements. Not only Vikram Batra, but somewhere the story of each character progresses in the same direction. The film has only two songs, ‘Rataan Lambiya’ composed by Tanishk Bagchi and ‘Ranjha’ sung and composed by Jasleen Royal; Which gives relief to the ears.

Shershaah Review: The Last Words

You must see this film. The film shows you the life of Captain Vikram Batra in such a way that sometimes you will be filled with enthusiasm and sometimes your tears will not stop from your eyes. Martyr Vikram Batra was not only a brave soldier but also a true friend, good son and romantic partner. He was no less than a hero even in real life and the story of such a true hero must be known and seen by all. We are giving 4/5 stars for Shershaah something new for everyone.