Drass (Ladakh), July 26 (IANS)| Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat made a remarkable observation at the trailer launch of ‘Sher Shah’ here on the eve of Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrated every year on 26th July. Param Vir Chakra recipient and Kargil war hero Captain Vikram Batra, whose life story ‘Sher Shah’ is narrated on Bollywood screens, was 22 when he joined the Army and this year marks 22 years of the Kargil War. .
General Rawat, who was the chief guest at the event, said, “We are glad that this time a film has been made on the life of Captain Vikram Batra. We hope that many more such films will be made on the bravehearts of India.”The night of Dras saw the presence of real and reel heroes, as the film’s lead cast, producer and director presented General Rawat, Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command, General Y.K. Joshi and Captain Batra’s brother is Vishal Batra.
The star cast of Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani talked about being fortunate to get a chance to work in a film that narrated such a respectable life story. Director Vishnuvardhan was also present, producers Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta and Shabbir Boxwala and Vijay Subramaniam of Amazon Prime were present. The film will stream on August 12. All of them thanked the army and the Batra family. This movie is possible.527 brave soldiers who laid down their lives in the Kargil war were honored and the families of the brave martyrs were felicitated.
The trailer launch was the highlight of the evening, which was preceded by a brief ‘Kargil Tribute’ feature remembering the valor of Captain Batra and also acknowledging General Joshi and the Indian Army.Karan Johar hosted a portion of the proceedings at the late evening function, with the launch of ‘Shershaah’ taking up most of the proceedings. One by one, he invited on stage and introduced the cast and crew of his film as well as top military officials.
Siddharth, who plays Captain Vikram Batra, spoke about how the experience of working on a project was more than just shooting for a film.Addressing the army men gathered in a select audience, Siddharth said, ‘This is the story of a true hero like all of you.’ “I consider myself lucky to be able to bring the story of a real life hero to life on screen like all of you. This is my first picture which is based on a true story and the experience has been more than a film for me. “
His co-star Kiara Advani had to make a confession. Thanking the Batra family and Capt Batra’s fiancee Dimple Cheema, she said, “I am standing in front of the Indian Army for the first time and I am nervous.”It was a warm evening, full of patriotic spirit, perhaps a pristine open-air valley site perched amidst soaring peaks. It was this peace that the Indian Army struggled to preserve in 1999, and the film ‘Sher Shah’ would try to bring that to life.
As for the film, Vishal Batra’s line certainly summed it up as, ‘It was a dream that took birth in 2015’. Recalling how the Indian Army had helped easily, and Johar’s Dharma Productions did a ‘great job’.Vishal Batra said, “I hope this film will inspire the youth to join the army.”