In Pics: A look at the journey of real life Shershaah Captain Vikram Batra

Pooja Sharma

August 12, 2021
1:02 pm
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In Pics: A look at the journey of real life Shershaah Captain Vikram Batra

shershaah, shershaah movie, sidharth malhotra, captain vikram batra, vikram batra story,

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There’s no other love greater than the love for one’s country. And Kargil War hero Captain Vikram Batra’s life story is the epitome of how when it comes to serving your nation nothing matters, not your family or even your life. The recently released film Shershaah chronicles the life journey of Param Vir Chakra awardee and army captain Vikram Batra.

The biographical war drama stars Sidharth Malhotra in a double role, as Batra and his identical twin brother Vishal. While Kiara Advani plays the role of Vikram’s fiancee, Dimple Cheema. Now that the film has been released, let’s take a look at the life of Captain Vikram Batra and his valour that will inspire the generations to come.

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Vikram Batra was born on 9 September 1974 to a Hindu Punjabi family in Palampur(Himachal Pradesh). In 1947, his family had migrated from West Punjab to Palampur at the time of the partition of India.

He was the third child of Girdhari Lal Batra, a government school principal, and Kamal Kanta Batra, a school teacher. He was the elder of twin brother and has two sisters.

Vikram was very close to his twin brother Vishal Batra. They even represented their school in table tennis at All India KVS Nationals.

In college, Vikram joined the Air Wing of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) in his first year. During the next two years in DAV, he remained a cadet of the Army Wing of NCC.

In 1996, he cleared Combined Defense Services( CDS) examination and got selected at the Services Selection Board (SSB) at Allahabad. He was always interested in joining the Army, in 1996 he left the university to join the Indian Military Academy. At last, his long-cherished dream was finally fulfilled.

After completing his 19-month training course, Vikram Batra was commissioned in the Indian Army as a Lieutenant of the 13th Battalion Jammu & Kashmir Rifles in 1997. Later, he was promoted to the rank of Captain on the battlefield.

Vikram was a social butterfly. He was flamboyant and loved his friends. Known for being ‘Yaaron ka yaar’, Vikram was the jaan of his friend circle. His friends still remember his goofy and affable nature.

Vikram played all the roles in his life with perfection. Be it as a son and brother, fiance or friend, he never disappointed anyone. In fact, for everything that he did and achieved in his life, he became a role model for his friends and family.

Vikram was the leader of one of the toughest operations in mountain warfare in Indian history. He was often referred to as ‘Sher Shah’ (“Lion King”) and that’s the reason why his biopic is titled the same.

“I’ll either come back after raising the Indian flag in victory or return wrapped in it,” Captain Vikram told a friend before leaving for war.

‘Yeh Dil Maange More’ was Vikram’s war cry. On July 7, at Point 4875, Vikram called his Commanding Officer, just to say, ‘Yeh Dil Maange More’. And when the enemy launched a counter attack, and Vikram rushed to rescue a fellow officer who got injured. “He did not allow other soldiers to go, and told them ‘tumhare biwi bachche hain’. That morning, my son made the supreme sacrifice for his country and fellow men,” his father had said. Vikram was just 24 when he gave up his life for the nation.

In 1999, posthumously Captain Vikram Batra was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest gallantry award, for his valour, undying love for the nation, bravery, and impeccable leadership.

Dimple Cheema and Vikram met for the first time at Punjab University in Chandigarh in 1995. In her interview with Quint, Dimple revealed that they both had enrolled to pursue a Master’s degree in English. The couple used to regularly visit the Mansa Devi temple and Gurudwara Sri Nada Sahab. Once, after completing a parikrama, Vikram suddenly told Dimple, “‘Congratulations, Mrs Batra. Didn’t you realise that this is the fourth time that we are doing this parikrama?” After Vikram’s death, Dimple did not marry. She has been living with Vikram’s memories for the last 22 years.

Coming back to the film Shershaah, the Vishnu Vardhan directorial released on Amazon Prime Video today.

Also Read: Shershaah Review: Sidharth Malhotra pulls off the valour and flamboyance of Vikram Batra; Kiara Advani shines