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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW! Nikitin Dheer: Shershaah Would Be The Best Performance Of Sidharth Malhotra’s Career
Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani-starrer Shershaah is all set to release on August 12, 2021, on Amazon Prime Video. Directed by Vishnuvardhan, the film is based on the life of Kargil War 1999 hero- Captain Vikram Batra aka Shershaah. Sidharth is portraying Captain Batra in the film. The war drama has been creating a solid buzz amongst the masses. Produced by Karan Johar, Shershaah also stars Shiv Pandit, Nikitin Dheer, Himanshu Malhotra, Sahil Vaid, Raj Arjun and many others in key roles.
Ahead of the release, Nikitin Dheer of Shershaah recently had a candid chat with Filmibeat, in which he spoke about the film, co-star Sidharth Malhotra, his character, patriotism and much more. Excerpts-
‘It’s A Great Honour To Be A Part Of Shershaah’
How does it feel to be a part of Shershaah?
It was a great feeling to be a part of a prestigious film like Shershaah. Such kinds of films come in actors' lives very rarely. The story is about Captain Vikram Batra and each character that we are portraying are the Kargil hero. So, I think it's a great honour to be a part of this film.
Tell us something about your character in Shershaah?
I am playing Major Ajay Singh Jasrotia, who is a senior to Captain Vikram Batra in 13 JAK Rifle. He was a great and brave soldier and he had a very beautiful relationship with Captain Vikram Batra. So, that is pretty much the character that I am portraying in Shershaah.
Shershaah Has A Lot Of Standout Moments
What preparations did you do to play a soldier on-screen?
There was a special camp organized by Dharma Productions, where we were trained by ex-army men. We learned basic ground drills, obstacle courses, handling of guns, formations, movements and their body language. Whatever we could grasp, we grasped as much as we can. Then, we came to shoot with conducted ourselves like soldiers. As far as the performance is concerned, we just surrendered ourselves to the director, who had done a complete preparation on each character in Shershaah. We were just going as per his guidance.
Being a part of a patriotic film is indeed a blessing for any actor. While shooting for Shershaah, is there any particular scene that touched your heart?
Actually, there are quite a few, but it would be unfair to the film if I reveal it before the release of Shershaah. Yes, there are a lot of standout moments, especially, the war cry of 13 JAK rifle - 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. It used to give us goosebumps while shooting such scenes.
‘Shershaah Would Be The Best Performance Of Sidharth Malhotra’s Career’
How was your experience working with Sidharth Malhotra?
It was a great experience. I know Sidharth since before he was an actor. This is the first time; I am working with him. He is a very pleasant co-actor to have. I think Shershaah would be the best performance of his career so far. I genuinely feel that he shall get a lot of applauds for his performance in Shershaah.
Shershaah is a film made for the big screen experience. However, due to the pandemic, the makers have to release it on the OTT platform. What do you feel about its OTT release?
I think it is a very responsible decision from the makers because we all know how we actually got out of the second wave of COVID-19. I feel that cinema should reach the audience through any medium. Interestingly, it is releasing in 240 countries through Amazon Prime Video, and the international audience would also know the bravery of our Indian soldiers.
‘Ravi Teja Is The Best’
Because of the pandemic, your other projects like Sooryavanshi and Antim have not been released in theatres yet. What do you have to say about your upcoming films' delay? Will it hamper its box office business, if people get scared to come to theatres after it opens in the country?
Sooryanvanshi has been affected by the pandemic, and we have just finished the shoot of Antim. The film is currently in the post-production stage. I think people will come to the cinema. Because when theatres had opened in Tamil Nadu and Telangana, cine-goers went to the cinema halls in a large number and films like Master and Krack did a solid business at the box office. In today's time, people are very much keen to live normal life and experience cinema in theatres. On a positive note, the movie business would also get a boost and people associated with showbiz will get their jobs again.
Apart from Bollywood films, you will also be seen in the Telugu film, Khiladi starring Ravi Teja. How was your experience working with the Mass Maharaja? When is the film releasing?
We have a few days of shooting left, and we are expected to finish the shoot in September. The makers will announce its release date soon. Talking about my experience with Ravi Anna (Ravi Teja), he is the best and knows how to get into the skin of the character. I just had a blast working with Ravi Anna.
