Shershaah Review

Introduction

Shershaah, a 2021 Indian biographical war film in the Hindi language based on the life of Vikram Batra, who was killed in action during the Kargil War. It was written by Sandeep Shrivastava and directed by Vishnuvardhan, who made his Hindi film debut. Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Shabbir Boxwala, Ajay Shah, and Himanshu Gandhi were producers. Dharma Productions and Kaash Entertainment made the movie. Sidharth Malhotra portrays Vikram and Vishal, Vikram Batra's twin brother, with Kiara Advani as Dimple Cheema, Vikram's lover.

The main shoot started the same month it was announced in May 2019 and ended in January 2020. The COVID-19 epidemic caused a postponement of the movie's initial July 3, 2020 release date. The movie then debuted on Amazon Prime Video on August 12, 2021.

Both the crowd and critics gave Shershaah favorable ratings. Critics praised the direction, soundtrack, cinematography, action scenes, editing, and visual effects?notably, the performances by Malhotra and Advani. However, there were some issues with the writing. According to Amazon, Shershaah became the most-watched Indian movie on the platform in India as of August 31, 2021.

Shershaah was nominated 19 times in the 67th Filmfare awards, including Best Actor (Sidharth Malhotra) and Best Actress (Kiara Advani), and took home seven awards, including Best Film, Best Director (Vishnuvardhan), Best Music Director (Tanishk Bagchi, B Praak, Jasleen Royal, Javed-Mohsin and Vikram Montrose), Best Male Playback Singer (B Praak for "Mann Bharrya") and Best Female Playback Singer (Asees Kaur for "Raatan Lambiyaan").

Movie Plot

Vishal Batra (Sidharth Malhotra) gives a speech about his twin brother, Capt. Vikram Batra was killed in battle at the film's start. He tells the story from their teenage years, and then the action flashes forward.

Vikram, the small child, plays when the cricket ball flies into some boys' hands. He returns the ball to the boys despite his brother Vishal's concerns. The kids wouldn't return the ball, so Vikram got them into a fight. When his father, G.L. Batra (Pawan Chopra), warns him later, the boy protests that no one can steal his belongings. A program called Param Vir Chakra used to air in the late 1980s. Vikram used to watch it at the home of his neighbor. The program motivated him to be a soldier to serve his nation.

In 1998, Vikram (Sidharth Malhotra) joined the military. He is currently assigned to the Delta company of the 13th Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, or 13 JAK RIF, and is headquartered at Sopore, Jammu, and Kashmir. He is greeted by the soldiers and directed to the Jammu and Kashmir firearms headquarters. His unit had Captain Sanjeev Jamwal (Shiv Pandit), Major Ajay Singh Jasrotia (Nikitin Dheer), Naib Subedar Bansi Lal Sharma (Anil Charanjeett), Subedar Raghunath Singh (Raj Arjun), Major Subrata Mukherjee (Abhiroy Singh), and Major Rajeev Kapoor (Himmanshoo A. Malhotra)

Vikram makes many friends in the neighborhood after a while. Vikram's team is positioned at a checkpoint where Mukherjee received information that weapons might pass through. Vikram notices a Jeep trying to turn around while performing regular checks. Without Mukherjee's instruction, Vikram begins firing at the jeep when attacked. As he goes closer to help, Vikram pushes Sanjeev away from danger. Vikram and Sanjeev kill the terrorists, but Sanjeev punishes Vikram for disobeying orders and endangering civilian lives. Later, Vikram is thanked by Sanjeev for saving his life.

When Vikram arrives at the camp, he discovers that his love Dimple Cheema (Kiara Advani), has sent him a letter. In 1995, Vikram fell in love with a girl from his friends, as shown in a flashback in the movie. He confesses his love to Dimple, and they begin dating. Then Vikram proposed to Dimple, and she agreed. However, after her father, Mr. Cheema (Bijay Anand), caught them, he was informed that they were from different castes. Vikram talks about the situation with his delighted parents, Kamal Kanta Batra (Vijay Meenu), and his father. Vikram plans to enlist in the merchant navy to convince Mr. Cheema that he is Dimple's ideal match. In the meantime, Dimple told her father that she would never be married if she was not wedded to Vikram. Vikram understands that joining the army is his goal and aspiration. He requests Dimple's patience as he finishes his training and enlists in the army as an officer.

When we return to the present, the terrorist captured at the checkpoint is revealed to be Attaullah (David Browne), a subordinate of Haider (Mir Sarwar). Four informants who betrayed Haider by providing the army with information are killed. He swears to kill 13 members of the 13 JAK RIF. Arslaan (Afnan Ashia), the son of Gafoor (Zahoor Zaidi), wishes to travel to Pakistan to receive training in firearms. Gafoor approaches Vikram since they are friends. Arslaan declares his desire to go, but Vikram persuades him to remain with Haider as the army's spy for a few more days. As Mukherjee's company was returning from a raid, Haider attacked them. Vikram's quick thinking allows the unit to hold against the attack, but several soldiers are killed in the process, including Bansi (who will take a leave of absence to visit his daughter).

Lt. Colonel Yogesh Kumar Joshi (Shataf Figar) urges his men to track down Haider. Gafoor objects, but Vikram insists that Arslaan give Haider's location. Yogesh approves Vikram to direct the operation against Haider. Although Vikram lacks visual proof that Haider is there, he acts instinctively and assaults. Eventually, Haider is identified and stopped.

Gen. Tariq Pervez (Kapil Kumar) is overruled by Gen. Musharaff (Bobby Khanna), who instructs the Pak army regulars to occupy mountain peaks across the LOC during the coldest part of the year. He claims Pakistan may win Kashmir if he can shut off the Srinagar-Leh highway. As summer draws near, Pakistani regular forces capture Indian Army battalions moving in to occupy the heights. Later, five troops are found dead and to555e4rtured when brought back. 13 JAK RIF is assigned as a reserve force after India declares war. Many troops perish when the Pakistani army bombs their camp. 13 JAK RIF is added to the active roster from the reserve. "Shershaah" is given to Vikram as a code name. They are tasked with taking Pt 5140, located at a height of 17000 feet.

In the early morning, Vikram's unit assaults Pak positions on Pt 5140 after an overnight climb at an angle of 85 degrees. The 13 JAK RIF and Sanjeev eliminated every regular in the Pakistani army and took control of the post. Due to their achievement, Vikram is given the rank of Captain. 13 JAK RIF is assigned to take control of the most challenging hill, Pt 4875. The hill had 70 km of Indian territory under control, and its capture would end the Kargil War. Although the offensive begins with many casualties, Vikram's team steadily eliminates opposed positions. The last bunker on the slope is heavily protected and has a relatively exposed approach.

Additionally, the CO tells Vikram that reinforcements from Pakistan are on their way and that his squad needs to take the hill before they arrive. Before Indian soldiers take out the sniper and the bunker, Vikram, who is leading the attack, is killed by sniper fire. Looking at the Indian flag raised above the hill, Vikram passes away. Vikram receives the Param Vir Chakra and is cremated with due military respect.

Star Cast

Reviews from Different Platforms

Times of India

Critic's Rating: 3.0/5

Review:

The most challenging mountain warfare in history was the Kargil battle. Much was at stake in this epic battle, which took place at an incredible height of 17,000 feet. While acting as terrorists from Kashmir, the Pakistani soldiers crossed the Line of Control (LoC) into Indian territory. Sandeep Srivastava, the author, and Vishnu Varadhan, the director, take their time getting there. As a result, Captain Vikram Batra (Sidharth Malhotra) takes us back to his childhood before meeting Dimple Cheema (Kiara Advani), his true love, and before being appointed as a Lieutenant to the 13 JAK Rifles. The Kiara Advani love songs are a distraction from the important topic at hand.

The film's second half deals with most of the facts and milestones from the Kargil War, which was a massive undertaking for filmmaker Vishnu Varadhan. Sidharth Malhotra performs exceptionally well in action sequences, and his acting grows throughout the movie. His honest efforts to convey his character's larger-than-life attitude on television make it one of his stronger performances. Kiara Advani does an excellent job of credibly portraying herself as a firm Sardarni who loves her sweetheart with all her heart. However, she only has a little space to shift.

Undoubtedly, the movie has a nationalistic tone overall. Many of the movie's action scenes must accurately reflect the vast scale of the environment, and they would look better on a big screen. However, Bollywood has yet to produce many critically and financially successful epic war films. According to those standards, "Shershaah" performs better than most present-day war plays and offers an inspiring story that needs to be told.

The film's strong source material will hold you once the men in uniform handle to drive the enemy out and recapture our home. The main accomplishment of Shershaah is its attempt to reproduce one of the most significant moments in recent history using inspiring individuals who pave the way for an explosive conclusion.

Bollywood Hungama

Rating: 3.0/5

Review:

The tale told by Sandeep Shrivastava is engaging and well-researched. The screenplay by Sandeep Shrivastava is smooth and effective. Vikram Batra's accomplishments as an army officer have remained the primary focus despite the writer's attempt to fit a lot into 135 minutes. On the other hand, the first half fails to clarify a few things. Although Sandeep Shrivastava's words are conversational, it has the necessary drama and punch. However, the family audience might need help finding the usage of aggressive language acceptable. Shershaah gets off to an inspiring start. Shershaah has beautiful scenes from her childhood and college years. The scene where Vikram and Dimple finally have a conversation is all right, but the Rock Garden location makes the scenes stand out. The fun starts once Vikram joins his squad at Sopore and develops a connection with his fellow soldiers. Excellent scenes include the one where Vikram succeeds in capturing Attaullah and the dialogue that follows with Sanjeev Jamwal. It is alarming that the army truck was suddenly attacked, and Naib Sudebar Bansi Lal Sharma died.

The film is handled in a very commercial manner, and Vishnu Vardhan's direction is excellent. Additionally, he only spends a little time and decides to emphasize the information necessary to advance the plot. As a result, after Attaullah is captured, the movie does not even have a shot of him, yet it does not appear incomplete.

The most impressive performance of Sidharth Malhotra's career is given. The actor flawlessly and sensitively executes the role and inhabits it. It demonstrates his growth as an actor as well. Regrettably, Shershaah did not release in theatres because it would have significantly boosted Sidharth's career. However, it is unquestionably a plus for him because it demonstrates his excellent acting skills. As expected, Kiara Advani plays a small part but looks cute and performs well. Kiara has advanced much, as shown by the moment she condemns Sidharth for changing his professional choice. Shiv Pandit has a sophisticated appearance and is trustworthy.

Raj Arjun pushes himself, while Anil Charanjeet performs admirably. Abhiroy Singh is memorable and appropriate for the role. Seeing Nitin Dheer back on television after a long absence is fantastic. Sahil Vaid performs admirably, as always. Bijay J. Anand is doing fine. Mir Sarwar is talented yet tends to play stereotypical characters. In their limited roles, Zahoor Zaidi and Afnan Ashia do decent work. Shataf Figar (Lt Col Y K Joshi) is crucial and provides qualified assistance. Kavay Tuteja and Krishnay Tuteja, who played Junior Vishal Batra and Junior Vikram Batra, are adorable. Only some opportunities are given to G L Batra (Pawan Chopra) and Kamal Kanta Batra (Vijay Meenu).

Kamaljeet Negi's cinematography superbly captures the locations of Kashmir. Shershaah is a wonderfully produced battle story that will undoubtedly fill you with pride and cause you to cry. If this movie had been released in theatres, Sidharth Malhotra would have given one of the best performances of his career. It was released right around Independence Day. Thus, it almost received many viewers.

Box-Office Collection

Several sources claim that the movie Shershaah reached the 5,000,000-watch threshold on Amazon Prime's OTT platform in just one week. There currently needs to be more information available on the amount for which the film rights were sold to produce the movie Shershaah, which cost around 50 crores.