After bagging multiple awards, Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani starrer Shershaah has now won big at the National Film Awards. The film, which is based on the life of late Captain Vikram Batra, has been honoured with the Special Jury Award in the Features Film category. Speaking to News18 exclusively, producer of the film, Shabbir Boxwala, says that though he had an inkling about the win, he was pretty dumbfounded.
“I was speechless. We were somewhat expecting that we stand a chance. But then, they had combined all the films that released in 2021 and even 2022. There was RRR and so many other good films and so, there was a lot of competition. It was a very tense moment,” he recalls.
Boxwala admits that the several awards won by Shershaah already validated their hard work but the National Film Awards is the ultimate cherry on the cake. Talking about it, he says, “When they finally announced that Shershaah got the Special Jury Award, I felt like I was on top of the world. We wanted to end it on a good note. We won so many awards and so, if we didn’t win the National Award, we would have been disappointed. This goes to the whole team who worked so hard on the film. It’s a real moment of joy, which I can’t express.”
So, what was lead actor Sidharth’s reaction? “I had a conversation with Sidharth. He’s also very happy because it’s his victory too. Even though this is everybody’s hard work put together, Sidharth surely was on top of it including the director (Vishnuvardhan) and Dharma Productions,” he remarks.
Apart from the cast and the crew of Shershaah, this National Awards also means a lot to the Batra family. Boxwala shares that he also had a conversation with Vishal Batra, Captain Vikram Batra’s brother, and they had a fun exchange. “I spoke to Vishal a few minutes back. I would have called him up earlier but I’ve been on calls continuously. He told me, ‘Tu ne bataaya nahi mujhe? News channels se mujhe pata chala hai.’ He was just joking because he knew that I would call him. He also told me to not forget to call him for the celebrations. I told him, ‘Yes, you’ll be there,’” states Boxwala.
Talking to News18 about the honour, Vishal had said, “It is a matter of great pride and happiness because this award is not only for the movie but it is also for the valour and the courage of every soldier who gave their lives in the Kargil war. While Vikram has become a legend, it is the sacrifice of the 527 soldiers who have been the unsung heroes… My love and appreciation to Karan (Johar, the producer), Kiara (Advani) and Sidharth Malhotra who portrayed Vikram’s life on screen so beautifully.”
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