Review by: Niladri Sekhar Dutta, The North-Eastern Chronicle
Visual by: Drishtanta Dutta
Plot and Story
Shershaah is based on a real life hero, martyr Captain Vikram Batra, who was commissioned in the Indian Army in the 13th Battalion Jammu & Kashmir Rifles and sacrificed his life in Kargil war a Paramveer Chakra awardee. His inspiring story was something that was needed to be told and well deservedly.
‘Shershaah’ is one of the best patriotic Hindi films you should not miss. Its story revolves around an Army man and his love for country.
The movie also shows the young boy fall in love with a college girl. As he grows older he is all set to realise his dream, falling for Dimple Cheema (Kiara Advani) in college and his undying love for her. Some might think what a love story is doing amidst a war patriotic movie but it fits very well. The movie is a good mix of both the stories.
Acting
Siddharth Malhotra has certainly delivered his best performance in his career. As an army man, he did a very commendable work to portray the character.
He gives his best while fighting at the border and also as a charming young boy committed in his love life. He the one who surely needs to be credited and would be remembered for.
Talking about Kiara Advani, who plays the character of army man’s love interest. Kiara has also done an impressive job. Someone might not like her Punjabi accent shown in the film but still its noteworthy.
Nikitin Dheer also stars in the film and has done his role well. He is usually seen as a villain. This time done a good job , playing that of an army officer. Portryal of his duty towards nation, who loses life while fighting a battle. Short role, but surely gave a good performance.
Direction, Screenplay and Dialogues
Battle scenes, action scenes were great visually and very well directed. From the war perspective, I specially liked the scene of aerial attacks by the enemy. That was really a visual treat to watch, with great cinematography and stunning screenplay.
Credit goes to the action directors Stefan Richter and Sunil Rodriguez, also the were the VFX team deserves credit for some stunning visual graphics, like sounds of bullets and explosion were never over-the-top or gimmicky. One of the criticism bollywood gets for its poor CGI but this movie completely put it out of equation something has to be praised for.
Dialogues were good. My favorite one was ‘Tiranga lehraake aunga ya tirange me lipatke aaunga’ , a dialogue made as a promise to a friend before going to war and ‘Dil maange more’ originally said by Vikram Batra himself would surely be in people’s mouth. Did not feel it was entirely a love film neither entirely a patriotic film.
Songs and Music
Songs were also beautifully written, sung and composed. My favorite two from the film ‘Raatan Lambiyaan’ , ‘Raanjha’ . ‘Raata Lambiyaan’ made one groove whereas ‘Kabhi tumhe yaad meri aaye’ touched someone’s soul.
Unlike what we see in most commercial bollywood movies which are remake of old classics. This movie brings the originality intent and essence the story needed.
Lastly we would say, you can watch this film more than once. A very well made War saga that will fill your heart with pride. The movie completely reflects what it intended and how beautifuly it’s made. We would also thank the makers for displaying photos and names of the original war heroes at the end of the movie. These army men deserve their glory and honor that we all are very proud. Dedicated to Vikram Batra and all the armed forces, ‘Shershaah’ is not to be missed.
Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani, Sahid Vaid, Abhiroy Singh, Shiv Pandit, Niketen Dheer
Directed by: Vishnu Varadhan
