Shershaah Trailer Talk: Sidharth Malhotra Stars In A Tribute To The Life And Times Of A War Hero

The trailer of Dharma Productions' Independence Day release, Shershaah dropped on Sunday. The film is based on the life and times of the late Captain Vikram Batra, a 24-year-old military officer who fought valiantly in the 1999 Kargil War. He was awarded the Param Veer Chakra posthumously, the country's highest award for valor.

The trailer starts with Lieutenant Vikram (Sidharth Malhotra) arriving in the city of Kargil. As he takes in his surroundings, amidst the clear blue skies and snow-clad mountains, he admires its 'picture-postcard' appeal. He is then immediately warned about the place being more dangerous than picturesque. This is followed by images of bombings in an army camp, where soldiers are running with rifles.

Like its teaser, the trailer too comprises real-life footage from the Kargil War, interspersed in between. This includes a clip of then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee addressing the press on the war. The scenes then switch from Vikram's life in the war amidst shoot-outs and bombings to his life before it, where a young Vikram falls in love with Dimple (Kiara Advani). The two plan to get married once the former returns from the war. He also talks about how a fauji's life is to 'live by chance, love by choice and fight by profession.'

Interestingly, Sidharth Malhotra's rendition of Captain Vikram appears to have an inclination towards films, as he slips into actor Raaj Kumar's popular 'Jani,' while telling a friend that he will return home – either with the tricolour or wrapped in it. The success code of his team, 'Yeh Dil Maange More,' as Vikram satisfyingly exclaims towards the end of the trailer, further accentuates this belief.

Directed by Vishnu Varadhan (previously helmed Tamil superhits like Billa and Arrambam), the biographical war film stars Sidharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani, Shiv Pandit and Nikitin Dheer, among others. Co-produced by Kaash Entertainment and written by Sandeep Srivastava (writer of films like Ab Tak Chhappan and Kabul Express), it is set for a digital release on Amazon Prime Video on August 12.