Sidharth Malhotra Pays Tribute to Kargil Martyr Capt Vikram Batra

Sidharth Malhotra will play Captain Batra in upcoming biopic ‘Shershaah’.

Sidharth Malhotra paid tribute to Kargil martyr Captain Vikram Batra.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter; Instagram)

Actor Sidharth Malhotra took to social media on 9 September to commemorate the 45th birth anniversary of Kargil War martyr Captain Vikram Batra. “Valour of Shershaah made him immortal. Happy Birthday Shershaah, respect and salute to Captain Vikram Batra. Jai Hind,” he tweeted along with a short clip.

Vikram Batra was inducted as a lieutenant in the 13 JAK Rifles on 6 December 1997, and promoted to the rank of Captain during the 1999 Kargil War between India and Pakistan. Often referred to as Sher Shah by the Pakistani Army, Batra was martyred at the age of 24, on 7 July 1999, defending Point 4875 in Kargil and was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his service to the nation.

Sidharth Malhotra will play Captain Batra in Shershaah, an upcoming biopic directed by Vishnu Varadhan and backed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions. The film also stars Kiara Advani and is expected to release in 2020.

Speaking about taking on the role Sidharth told IANS, “More than interesting, it is more of a responsibilty to bring back his glory on screen. He sacrificed his life for our nation, so I can never take this project for granted. I met his parents and his brother – they are so attached to him emotionally. I hope I don't let them down. Apart from business aspect, I hope we make a film that does justice to Mr. Batra's glory and eventually makes his family happy.”

Sidharth and his crew began filming in Kargil in August and quashed rumours that the shoot had been postponed following rising tensions in the Valley over the revocation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution.“All the war sequences will be shot for 40 days. True, there is unrest in the Valley but places like Leh, Ladakh and Kargil are quite peaceful. The Army is providing us all the support and even the people are excited,” the film’s producer said in a statement.