Shershaah: Capt. Vikram Batra's 47th birth anniversary, Sidharth Malhotra Pens a heartfelt note

Shershaah is a hit film and Sidharth Malhotra's near perfect portrayal of war hero Captain Vikram Batra is winning accplades from all quarters. On September 9, 2021 Vikram Batra's 47th Birth Anniversary. Shershaah actor Sidharth Malhotra who portrayed Capt. Vikram Batra penned a note for him on twitter.

"Dear Shershaah,
They say that those who touch our lives, stay in our hearts forever. And Captain Vikram Batra, you have touched our lives immensely with you valour, wisdom, charm & love for the nation. You will stay in our hearts forever...
In your loving memory,
Jai Hind. 🇮🇳", Read Sidharth's tweet.

We all have watched the movie Shershaah but we are all curious as to how Vikram got inspired to enter the armed forces.

Shershaah was released on Amazon Prime Video on August 12 and has become the most watched film on the streaming platform in India with an IMDb rating of 8.8. Its writer Sanjeev Srivastava had told indianexpress.com how Sidharth was a part of the project from its inception, along with co-producer Shabbir Boxwala, and Vikram’s younger brother, Vishal Batra. Sanjeev even mentioned how Sidharth has put in a lot of hardwork and dedication to transform into Vikram. “He’s come of age and has put up a very fine act,” Sanjeev said.

Vishal Batra, singled out the moment when his brother decided to join the armed forces in his TEDTalk in 2017. In the video, Vishal talks about his childhood with Vikram, and how his brother was always meant to serve the motherland.

Back in 1987, when owning a colour television wasn’t common, Vishal shared that his household didn’t even have a black and white TV. “Me and Vikram used to sneak out of our house every Sunday morning at 9.30 AM to one of the neighbour’s houses to watch a very popular TV show – Param Vir Chakra. It was on the life of the 16 brave martyrs who laid down their life and got PVC after 1947. That was the time when Vikram decided that if he wishes to do anything in life, it would be to join the armed forces and serve the motherland,” he revealed.

Vikram Batra joined the National Cadet Core at DAV College, Chandigarh at the  age of 19, probably his first step towards achieving his dream. “He was awarded the best cadet for two consecutive years before leading a contingent of NCC Directorate at Republic Day parade in 1994. Soon Vikram joined Indian Military Academy. And rest is history,” Vishal said during the talk.

After the two brothers had watched Nana Patekar's Prahar, Vishal wondered if the commando training was indeed that difficult. “I still get goosebumps when I remember the sight of bruises Vikram used to carry after his commando training course,” Vishal said, adding that for Vikram these bruises were “small steps which are very critical towards becoming an effective leader.”

Shershaah was Vikram Batra’s code name on the battlefield and his victory signal was “Yeh Dil Maange More” for radio communication. Leading the 13 JAK RIF during the Kargil War, Vikram laid his life but managed to capture Point 4875 which overlooked National Highway 1. He was bestowed with the Param Vir Chakra posthumously.

“Among many things that Vikram perfected was the art of driving a jeep with one hand and looking at the aim and shooting with his AK47 with the other hand,” Vikram shared.