Shershaah has been receiving praise from critics and the audience alike.
However, one grievance part of the audience seems to have been a feeling that Dimple Cheema’s character, played by Kiara Advani, was reduced to the role of the captain Vikram Batra’s fiancé, the potential of her screen presence remains unfulfilled.
However, the writer, Sandeep Srivastava, seems to disagree and told News18, “I don’t agree with these reviews. The thing is, Kiara has done such a wonderful job that people want to see more.”
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In that very interview, Srivastava gave some more insight into the life of the woman he helped take to the screen, “When I was doing my research, and I interacted with Dimple, she said that Captain Batra and she knew each other for four years but the time they spent together was just about 40 days. I think that we have captured the essence of those 40 days, which means a lot to the wonderful lady whom I have a lot of respect. It is the essence of her feelings that is coming through the way Kiara has played the character, and that’s what’s really sticking to people. ”
He added, “So I do not think there was a need to add anything. It’s just the right amount. She is a very integral part of Captain Vikram Batra’s life, you cannot tell his story without his relationship with Dimple, and without what he did in the war. I think what we have done is struck the right balance. There are also so many views, which are just the contrary and they are saying that it is a perfect blend of his personal life and his life as a soldier.”
Prior to this, in another interview, Kiara Advani, who plays Cheema on screen, spoke about what an integral part meeting the woman she had to be a likeness of was to the preparation, “Meeting Dimple Cheema was the most important emotional aspect of making this film. We had not even started shooting when we met and it was the best part of the prep. She gave me an insight into her mind and her heart which then helped me emote better on screen. It was Vishal Batra, Captain Vikram Batra’s twin brother, who helped us meet each other. I wanted to understand her closely and emulate her as close to reality as I could. We incorporated Punjabi dialogues because she is from Punjab. It was an overwhelming and emotional experience for me to play Dimple,” said Advani.
Shershaah is a movie about the life and subsequent demise of Indian army captain Vikram Batra, who perished in the Kargil war. The movie is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
