Sidharth Malhotra on 'Shershaah' Vikram Batra's b'day: 'You'll stay in our hearts forever'

Sidharth Malhotra has become a national sweetheart after conquering audiences' love with his almost perfect portrayal of Captain Vikram Batra in the blockbuster movie Shershaah. The movie encapsulates Vikram Batra's unparalleled valour, charting his journey from his first posting in the army to his death in the Kargil War. Thursday, September 9 marks what would've been the legends' 47th birth anniversary. 

As the nation remembers him today, Sidharth took to his social media handles to pay tribute to the captain's 'valour, wisdom, charm & love for the nation'. Addressing him as 'Dear Shershaah' he added that Batra will stay in everyone's hearts forever. The biographical war film based on Batra's life was released last month on Amazon Prime Video and has broken several records since. 

Sidharth pens tribute on Vikram Batra's birth anniversary

Shershaah stars Malhorta and Kiara Advani (who essayed Batra's love interest, Dimple Cheema) took to their respective social media handles today, paying homage to the captain. They uploaded a collage of Vikram's photos, with a 'REMEMBERING CAPT. VIKRAM BATRA (PVC)' caption. 

Recently, Malhotra also visited the National War Memorial in Delhi on the occasion of Independence Day to pay respects to Captain Vikram Batra and the battalion of soldiers who lost their lives in the Kargil War. The leading duo has become the talking point ever since the film's release, which recently became the most streamed Indian movie on Amazon. Even two of the film's tracks, Raataan Lambiyan and Ranjha, made their way to the Billboard Global Excl US charts as well as the top streaming songs in a week on Spotify. 

More about the legendary Captain Vikram Batra

Captain Vikram Batra was born on 9 September 1974, in a small town in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh. He was deeply patriotic and always wanted to be a part of the armed forces. He started to prepare for the Combined Defense Services (CDS) examination, which he cleared in 1996 and later joined the IMA in the capacity of a lieutenant. Interestingly, Batra was a green belt holder in karate and also played Table Tennis on a national level. 

Later, the Kargil hero was commissioned into 13 JAK Rifles, post which he achieved the Captain's rank in 1999 during the Kargil War.  Batra led the most difficult mountain warfare operations in Indian military history when he was assassinated by Pakistani soldiers. He was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest and most prestigious award for his valour. 

(IMAGE- Sidharth Malhotra-Instagram/PTI)