Shershah: a grand war epic which fails to touch the heart


By Rajesh Ahuja

Shouts of Durga Mata ki Jai rent the air as soldiers of the  J and K rifles celebrate the capture of the point 4875 on the Kargil heights, marking an end to the Kargil war

Even as they celebrate their victory, their commander and the architect of the victory over Pakistan, Captain Vikram Batra lies heavily bruised by the bullets of the Pakistani soldiers during his efforts to capture the strategic peak from the enemy

A poignant scene meant to bring tears to your eyes. However as one watches this scene in the movie Shershah, streaming on Amazon prime video, you hardly experience  any emotion , be it the ecstasy of the victory over Pakistan or the pain of the death of a braveheart.

It was touted as a grand war epic that takes viewers through the journey of captain Vikram Batra to becoming an army officer to giving his supreme sacrifice for the nation during the Kargil war.

However,  while Shershah makes a mark for itself with its grand war scenes , production values and its performances,  it  fails to stir any emotions , a prerequisite for any successful war movie

While Siddharth Malhotra puts in a spirited act as Vikram Batra, absence of any emotional fervor in the  screenplay is a major dampener.

Shershah is a grand war epic that fails to touch the heart 




Vicky (childhood name of Vikram Batra) is an agressive child who is not afraid of picking up a fight with boys much older than him. His sole ambitiob from childhood is to join the army. On growing up he falls in love with a Sikh girl 'Dimple(Kiara Advani)  during his college years. In order to impress Dimple and her father, who is dead against marrying his daughter in a non Sikh family he momentarily even decides to let go of his ambition to join the army only to later  realise that Army is his real calling

Joining as lieutenant of the Jammu and Kashmir rifles in the rugby terrain of the Kashmir Valley, Vikram carries his aggression in the army, often going beyond the brief given to him. His efforts to neutralize a wanted terrorist earn him a promotion to the post of captain

During the Kargil war he is assigned the task of commanding a team of soldiers to capture a strategic peak from the control of the enemy. The film is about how he and his team go about the task, which leaves him severely injured by enermy bullets .

Unlike J P Dutta's 2001 film LOC Kargil which mostly dealt with Vikram's exploits during the Kargil war, Shershah attempts to provide us an insight into his life and development of his character from childhood to his youth to his initial period in the army.The film also  delves in detail on his romance with Dimple and gives us a peep into Vikram as a person: Infact, the director tries to bring out the human side of Vikram through his interaction with his colleagues in the army and with the local people.

The film boasts of lavish production values with war sequences having been shot well. Unfortunately, however, they fail to arouse within you the patriotic feel on winning a war or a feeling of pain over loss of a soldier or an officer in the conflict

Siddharth Malhotra comes up with a superlative act as Vikram Batra whose heart bleeds for his nation and who is ready go beyond the brief given to him to fulfill the call for the nation..He is refreshing as an Army officer whose heart beats for his colleagues and subordinates. Infact, he gives an effortless performance as Vikram Batra and it would not be an exaggeration to say that it is Siddharth Malhotra best performance till date

Kiara Advani is endearing as Dimple the simple girl next door who falls in love with the charming Vikram Batra and is willing to wait the entire life for him

Film boasts of excellent cinematography with the visuals of Kargil been eye filling. 

Songs of the film are quite hummable .

In short Shershah is a grand war epic with lavish production values . Unfortunately,  however,  it falls to stir the required emotions , notwithstanding an outstanding performance by Sidharth Malhotra and an endearing act by Kiara.

My rating; 2.5/5

Watch trailer

https://youtu.be/Q0FTXnefVBA

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