Sidharth Malhotra Recalls Shooting 'Shershaah' At 14,000 Feet Above Sea Level With Low Oxygen!

The team of Shershaah has hit gold with the success of the movie. With love pouring from all over the country, the movie set a new benchmark by being rated 8.8/10 on IMDb.

Shershaah has now become the highest-IMDB-rated Hindi movie.

While the love and validation that the cast and the team is receiving have been satisfying, not many know the kind of efforts the entire team had to put in.

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Shooting in Leh wasn't a cakewalk, reveals Sidharth Malhotra. In a conversation with TOI, he revealed that they were shooting in extreme climatic conditions.

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He said, ¡°We are the first Indian film to shoot at Kargil and that too, at a place which is just a few kilometers away from where the actual war was fought. We were shooting at about 14,000 feet above sea level, where the oxygen levels are low and the winds are mighty. The mountains are devoid of any greenery. As a film crew, it was challenging to get the equipment on top. It was physically strenuous for the crew. We were even wearing the kind of snow boots that the Indian Army uses to make it look authentic.¡±

Sidharth added that he got a closer look at all the rough challenges the army officers have to go through. He added,

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¡°I am looking at this from a filmmaking point of view, but it makes you realize how our soldiers have it so difficult, and they never get retakes in real life. As an actor, these are massive challenges you face. If you or someone else slips and falls, it could lead to a serious injury. But all those things have lent to a film that has been made organically. We had very few set-ups. It was pretty much us, the guns and the script.¡±

The team of Shershaah shot pivotal portions of the film in Ladakh. The result of everyone's love has been gratifying for Sidharth Malhotra.

Talking about how all the efforts were worth it, he added,

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¡°We can¡¯t thank the Indian Army enough for providing us with a lot of facilities. The guns you see us using on-screen are actual ones with fake bullets. The gear, the equipment, all of it is very close to what it actually was during the Kargil War. When I returned to Kargil with the film's trailer on Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations, it was an emotional moment for me. To get a nod of approval from the top brass of the Indian Army was such a surreal experience. To see it (the trailer) with the families who lost their loved ones in the Kargil was special. It must¡¯ve been difficult for them to watch, but their approval meant a lot. It made all the blood, sweat, and effort into the film worthwhile.¡±

The biographical war drama, directed by noted south film director Vishnuvaradhan, narrates the life story of Captain Batra and how he led the charge of his troops during the 1999 Kargil war.

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He was given the highest wartime gallantry award, Param Vir Chakra, posthumously.

In the film, Malhotra played the double role of Captain Vikram Batra and his twin brother Vishal Batra.

(Also read: After 'Shershaah', 11 Biopics That Will Narrate The Inspiring Stories Of Real-Life Heroes)