Shershaah is a new movie on Amazon Prime that follows the story of Capt Vikram Batra (Param Vir Chakra) and his contribution to the Kargil War. This was a movie that, by all means, I didn’t expect to be as good as it was. This is my breakdown of what I liked in this movie and what I didn’t.
Before we get started, if you want the short end of the story, you should definitely give this movie a try!
The Not-So-Good
Let’s start with the negatives since this part would be over shortly.
Some action scenes in this movie were completely unnecessary in which soldiers are depicted to prefer fist fighting when they have guns right next to them which would be quicker and neutralize the enemy easier. There are always some scenes in Bollywood to overdramatize such encounters and this especially hurts when the other action scenes are portrayed so realistically that the bad ones stand out.
The Good
The first thing I would like to appreciate is that the director Vishnuvardan did all of the audience a favor and did not exaggerate the action scenes. The army was depicted very convincingly and all the interaction between the officers, junior officers, and jawans was as if out of an actual conversation. Kudos to the director to not show screaming and over patriotic soldiers running blindly. For the most part of the movie, the action and the way the army operates were directed deftly and it improved the narrative many folds.
The second good thing was the romance between Kiara Advani and Siddharth Malhotra. It felt natural, the chemistry was spot-on, and never did I feel that it took us too much out of the heart of the movie. It only added more value by forming heartwarming connections knowing the tragedy that was to come later.
Kiara Advani‘s role also was crucial to the story and was not thankfully reduced to a side character. Dimple was an important character in Capt Vikram Batra’s life and Kiara faithfully renders the love she possesses and also the inner conflict of her character as she struggles with his Kargil posting.
Siddharth Malhotra was another surprise to me. I don’t see him as a very versatile actor but for this movie, he transformed himself into the charismatic and joyous soldier who is full of life. He easily carries the movie on his shoulders and portrays Capt Vikram Batra with all he has. He truly nails Shershaah’s true spirit. This has to be his career-best performance.
The Great
The music of this movie was one of the truly powerful elements that bought the whole movie together. It was amazing to see the songs fit so beautifully in the story and make us feel what the actors on-screen were feeling. Raataan Lambiyaan is a crowd-pleaser and it will play on the radios for quite some time but the two songs that really moved me were Raanjha (Jasleen Kaur, B Praak) and the unforeseen but truly tear-jerking Mann Bharya.
Raanjha is a soulful rendition and makes you hum to its tune happily. Mann Bharya took me by my heart and squeezed all the emotions out of me. It comes at such a time that you already know that it will make you cry but when B Praak’s voice starts singing, it can make a stone weep. The only regret I will have is to not have seen this movie in the theatre and experience the emotions in a crowd. I promise that not one pupil would be dry.
The last thing I want to bring up is the tribute this film stands for. It does justice to the portrayal of one of the most beloved soldiers martyred in the Kargil War. The entire movie cast chose to stick to a lot of actual incidents in the life of Capt Vikram Batra and not go over the top. I can’t thank them enough for the same. Bollywood didn’t need another ‘How’s the Josh?” movie but an accurate depiction of the sacrifice Indian soldiers have made to protect our motherland.
In that endeavor, Shershaah has succeeded and how. This is a movie not to miss and should be watched with a large crowd (friends & family). It is not often that a good war drama comes and truly makes us proud of our army and nation.
Rating – 4 embers out of 5
Check out other articles from my blog – whisperingembers.com/
Watch this gem of a movie on Amazon Prime –primevideo.com/