Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani.
Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Shabbir Boxwala, Ajay Shah Himanshu Gandhi
Vishnuvardhan
2021-08-12
Hindi
4/5
Alright. Those who know me know that I've been waiting for Sidharth Malhotra to deliver a heart-wrenching, gutsy performance after his outings in Ek Villain and Hasee Toh Phasee. He has never been a critic favourite but I've always had a soft spot for him because there is so much potential in the way in which he expresses silently that I knew that with the right script, he would make it work. Well, did he make it work in Shershaah?
Shershaah is a tribute, from my perspective. A tribute to the late solider, Captain Vikram Batra, who posthumously was recognized for his bravery and efforts in Kargil. His life of twenty four years has been captured in this film but to call it a biopic would not be right, because it truly is a tribute to the man Captain Vikram Batra was, not just the soldier. But can you separate the two? Kiara Advani plays Dimple, who was Vikram Batra's life companion and draws from his other real life companions, played by notable actors including Sahil Vaid, Shiv Pandit, Nikitin Dheer, Anil Charanjeett, Raj Arjun, and Shataf Figar, amongst many talents. But at its core, the film is Shershaah's.
Let me start with the editing of the film. Most films based on any sort of war or hero of a war tend to spend about thirty minutes at the tail-end in complete combat, which works sometimes, which doesn't work other times. They tend to drag on a bit. War films also tend to have a linear storyline, but not necessarily films that cover a real life hero. This film gets the length just right, just as it gets the storytelling right. There are moments of Captain Vikram Batra's life sprinkled throughout the film, and one cannot help but be mesmerized by who he was. Kudos to his family, specifically, his twin brother, for opening up their hearts to the makers of the film.
But...alas, I think a lot of credit goes to Sidharth Malhotra, who really has put a lot of his real life to get this real life right on reel. He has such genuine warmth in his eyes, such genuine emotions on his face, that he completely embodies the real life man it seems. He takes the role on with open arms and proves he has so much to offer on screen. Kiara Advani is a breath of fresh air on screen, as she always is. Sidharth and Kiara bring across such warmth on screen, it's so memorable. Not everyone will find the way in which the story is told attractive - but I sure did.
This one is a must-watch.
Shershaah is a tribute, from my perspective. A tribute to the late solider, Captain Vikram Batra, who posthumously was recognized for his bravery and efforts in Kargil. His life of twenty four years has been captured in this film but to call it a biopic would not be right, because it truly is a tribute to the man Captain Vikram Batra was, not just the soldier. But can you separate the two? Kiara Advani plays Dimple, who was Vikram Batra's life companion and draws from his other real life companions, played by notable actors including Sahil Vaid, Shiv Pandit, Nikitin Dheer, Anil Charanjeett, Raj Arjun, and Shataf Figar, amongst many talents. But at its core, the film is Shershaah's.
Let me start with the editing of the film. Most films based on any sort of war or hero of a war tend to spend about thirty minutes at the tail-end in complete combat, which works sometimes, which doesn't work other times. They tend to drag on a bit. War films also tend to have a linear storyline, but not necessarily films that cover a real life hero. This film gets the length just right, just as it gets the storytelling right. There are moments of Captain Vikram Batra's life sprinkled throughout the film, and one cannot help but be mesmerized by who he was. Kudos to his family, specifically, his twin brother, for opening up their hearts to the makers of the film.
But...alas, I think a lot of credit goes to Sidharth Malhotra, who really has put a lot of his real life to get this real life right on reel. He has such genuine warmth in his eyes, such genuine emotions on his face, that he completely embodies the real life man it seems. He takes the role on with open arms and proves he has so much to offer on screen. Kiara Advani is a breath of fresh air on screen, as she always is. Sidharth and Kiara bring across such warmth on screen, it's so memorable. Not everyone will find the way in which the story is told attractive - but I sure did.
This one is a must-watch.
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