July 26 is celebrated as the Kargil Vijay Diwas every year, and one of the most common names which pops up on this day is of Captain Vikram Batra, who was martyred during the Kargil War 1999 while defending his country on the Line Of Control (LoC).
Captain Vikram Batra was martyred on July 7, 1999, but his name was immortalized by the sacrifices he made for the country, which were brought to light even more after the release of his biopic Shershah, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani.
At the young age of just 22, Captain Vikram Batra joined the Indian Army and began his rigourous training to defend the country. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Jammu and Kashmir Regiment of the Army and was responsible for subduing several militants and terrorists.
Captain Vikram Batra played an important role in the capture of Point 5140, which was earlier infiltrated by Pakistani soldiers during the Kargil War. While trying to reclaim Point 4875, Captain Vikram Batra was shot dead by the enemy, but not without hoisting the Indian tricolor after the victory of his mission.
Real vs Reel: Accurate facts from ‘Shershaah’ about Captain Vikram Batra
The movie SherShaah is closely based on the life and martyrdom of Kargil War hero Captain Vikram Batra, with accuracies to his real life. The movie shows Sidharth Malhotra using the slogal ‘Ye dil maange more’, a success signal used by the real-life war hero during the India-Pakistan clash.
Further, his love story with Dimple Cheema is accurately represented in the movie. While Captain Vikram Batra never got the chance to marry his fiancée, there are certain instances from the on-screen love story that occurred in the real life of the war hero.
Further, the name Shershaah is actually inspired by the name allotted to him by the Pakistani army, it was said that Vikram Batra invoked such fear in the hearts of his enemies, that he was often refered to as ‘Sher Shah’ in Pakistan’s encrypted messages.
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