Actor Sidharth Malhotra is set to play real-life hero Captain Vikram Batra in Shershaah. He says if he had the means then the film, which he calls his passion project, would have been produced by him. In the film, backed by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions and directed by Vishnu Varadhan, he plays Captain Batra, who laid down his life in the service of the nation while recapturing Indian territories from Pakistani intruders during the Kargil War of 1999.
Asked about producing films, Sidharth told a news agency, "If it is a story which will become a passion project then (he will produce the film), not from a commercial aspect... a story which I feel has to be made and should be made. It will be great to create content and tell stories which I believe in."
Sharing an example, the Student of the Year actor said: "If I had the means then the Vikram Batra film would have been produced by me but because it is made on such a massive scale and I am not well equipped (he is not producing it). Maybe in the future (he will produce films)." As of now, he is feeling the pressure of playing the Kargil hero, who was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra - India's highest war-time gallantry award. "Everyone knows about his heroic stories from newspapers and articles. When you meet people who have lived with him, his family or have known him personally, you feel an immense kind of pressure. First, you hope to do justice to his personal life and family," said Sidharth.
"It's something that is very close to my heart. It's like a passion project. It's being directed by Vishnu Varadhan, who is a prolific director from south. He is making his Hindi debut with this film," he added.
