‘Proud to wear that uniform and tell this soldier’s story’

Fresh off the success of his last film, Ittefaq, actor Sidharth Malhotra has signed his next film, a biopic on Kargil martyr Captain Vikram Batra.

Sidharth has donned the Army uniform already for his upcoming release, Aiyaary, and he seems quite excited to wear it again to bring Batra’s story to the big screen. This project, Sidharth says, is particularly special for him, given that the captain’s family specifically asked for Sidharth to be cast as the martyred soldier in the biopic.

“I come from an Army background — my grandfather was in the Army — so I felt very proud to just wear that uniform and tell the story of this particular soldier,” says Sidharth. “When I was working on Aiyaary, I sent my father a picture of myself in a uniform, and he was very happy. It’s interesting that I’m working on two films that make me don the uniform.”

The actor continues, “This story is based on the Kargil war and it’s very inspiring and touching. I’ve never played a character that’s real. Their family approached me a while ago and said that if anyone had to play their son, then they’d be very interested if I could do it. It was very overwhelming, because I had heard of his story, but when I got into the details, it was amazing to learn about his life and journey.”

Capt. Batra was a few months short of 25 years when he led one of the fiercest operations in the Kargil war. Batra put himself in the line of fire to save his men. He was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra on August 15, 1999, a month after India won the war. (His character was played by Abhishek Bachchan in the 2003 film LOC Kargil, but it wasn’t a biopic.)

Sidharth says, “It’s very difficult to portray someone who, at such a young age, gave up his life for the country.”

Although it’s tricky to play a real-life person on screen, Sidharth isn’t bothered about comparisons. He says, “You have to give it respect, because we’re talking about a martyr. That’s more challenging than being compared. He is not a celebrity, so I have less to worry about in that regard, but I have to be sensitive so that I do justice to the role and don’t offend people. I feel very answerable to the family; they approached me for the role. I hope they feel satisfied and happy when the film releases.”

This story is based on the Kargil war and it’s very inspiring. It is a true story, and I have never played a character that’s real. SIDHARTH MALHOTRA, ACTOR

Captain Vikram Batra, who died in the Kargil war of 1999, was nicknamed ‘Sher Shah’