EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW:Director Vishnu Varadhan On Sidharth Malhotra,Karan Johar And Shooting Shershaah In Kargil

Q.
Shershaah’
is
going
to
be
released
in
a
few
days.
But
now
the
journey
continues
on
OTT
and
not
theatres.
How
are
you
feeling
as
a
director?

A.
I
am
very
happy
that
the
film
is
now
coming
on
Amazon
Prime;
because
sometime
back
it
was
looking
like
I
do
not
know
when
the
film
is
going
to
release.
We
all
have
put
so
much
hard
work
and
so
much
time
into
it.
Although
to
be
honest,
we
had
so
much
fun
making
this
film
that
I
didn’t
even
realize
when
that
much
time
has
passed.
We
are
still
living
the
film.
I
was
immersed
in
this
film.
I
was
very
excited
about
it
because
I
had
never
made
a
film
on
Indian
Army
before.
I
had
never
done
a
biopic.
That’s
why
there
was
so
much
excitement
and
it
still
is
because
now
the
film
is
about
to
come
before
the
audience.

Q.
You
have
shot
the
film
in
Kargil,
about
the
Kargil
war.
How
was
the
experience
and
what
kind
of
challenges
did
the
team
face
as
obviously
Kargil
would
not
be
an
easy
place
to
shoot
a
film?

A.
(Laughs)
Everyone
had
lost
their
breath.
Everybody
died
literally.
Well,
I
would
say
that
Kargil
was
like
blessing
in
disguise
for
us.
We
originally
were
not
supposed
to
be
shooting
in
Kargil.
We
had
selected
some
locations
near
Kashmir
and
near
Ladakh,
but
the
Indian
Army
said
that
we
will
not
be
able
to
support
you
because
some
tense
situation
was
going
on
in
Kashmir.
And
without
the
support
of
the
Indian
Army,
you
cannot
make
this
film.
Then
they
suggested
that
you
guys
come
to
Kargil
and
shoot
here.
It
was
like
a
boon
to
us.
What
more
do
you
need,
what
can
you
get
better
than
this.
We
just
had
to
find
some
locations
there.

There
we
got
support
from
General
YK
Joshi,
the
then
Corps
Commander
of
Leh-Ladakh,
who
was
the
commanding
officer
of
Vikram
Batra
during
the
1999
war.
However,
the
hardest
part
was
shooting
at
that
height,
in
that
altitude.
It
was
difficult
for
all
the
actors
and
technicians.
We
were
shooting
somewhere
between
12000-14000
feet.
But
the
battle
they
fought
at
an
altitude
of
16000
feet
was
unbelievable.
Well,
we
have
tried
to
be
honest
in
our
work.

Let
me
tell
you,
no
film
has
ever
been
shot
in
Kargil.
So,
there
is
no
such
set
for
shooting
there,
not
even
a
hotel
for
the
entire
crew
to
stay.
I
would
like
to
say
that
the
production
house
did
a
lot,
making
sure
that
we
do
not
face
any
problem
while
shooting
the
film
there.

Q.
Apart
from
Kargil,
has
the
film
also
been
shot
at
some
real
locations?

A.
Yes,
Vikram
Batra
is
from
Palampur
(Himachal).
So
we
have
shot
some
scenes
in
Palampur,
on
the
streets
there,
in
the
university.
We
shot
at
Punjab
University,
from
where
Vikram
Batra
studied.
And
then
we
shot
in
Kargil
as
well.
But
where
Vikram
Batra
fought,
Point
5140;
we
couldn’t
shoot
there
because
that
was
not
accessible.
It
was
really
very
dangerous.
So,
we
found
some
similar
looking
locations
for
shooting.

Q.
Shershaah
is
your
first
Hindi
film
as
a
director.
When
and
how
did
you
associate
with
this
film?

A.
Sometimes,
most
beautiful
opportunities
come
in
your
way
just
like
that..
and
it
happens
only
once
in
your
life.
Shershaah
is
that
opportunity
for
me.
Actually,
the
writer
of
the
film
Sandeep
Srivastava
was
doing
research
on
Shershaah.
And
at
that
time
Sandeep
and
I
were
writing
a
script
for
a
Tamil
one.
We
generally
used
to
share
information
about
Captain
Vikram
Batra.
The
more
things
I
heard
about
him,
the
more
fascinated
I
became.
Sandeep
wanted
a
director’s
perspective,
so
we
generally
discussed,
shared
our
views
on
the
script.
So,
the
journey
started
from
there.
Meanwhile,
my
Tamil
film
did
not
work
out.
One
day
I
met
Shabbir
Boxwala,
who
has
the
rights
of
the
film.
He
introduced
me
to
Karan
Johar
at
Dharma
Productions.
And
from
there
everything
changed.
I
never
knew
that
I
would
do
this
film.
But
I
knew
that
whoever
does
this
film
will
be
a
memorable
film
in
their
life.
And
I
am
glad
that
it
has
become
a
part
of
my
life
now.

Q.
How
was
it
to
be
associated
with
Dharma
Productions?
Karan
Johar
himself
is
also
a
director,
so
what
was
his
participation
like?

A.
Karan
is
a
brilliant
director
and
apart
from
being
a
director,
he
is
also
one
of
the
most
fabulous
producers
I
have
met.
I
really
have
a
lot
to
say.
For
example,
he
knows
what
you
are
saying
exactly
what
the
film
requires
because
he
is
a
director
himself.
And
I
must
say
that
he
is
a
creative
producer.
He
knows
how
to
have
a
vision
for
the
film.
War
films
have
a
slightly
higher
budget
than
other
films,
and
he
spent
whatever
was
required
for
the
film.
Only
a
creative
producer
can
understand
these
things.
The
second
thing
that
I
liked
about
him
is
that
he
completely
believes
in
you.
The
whole
motto
of
Dharma
Productions
is
that
what
the
film
needs
and
what
the
film
director
needs
to
make
the
film,
it
should
be
fulfilled.
And
the
best
thing
about
Karan
Johar
is
that
he
trusts
his
directors
a
lot.
The
director
just
has
to
make
the
film.
I
definitely
enjoyed
working
with
him.

Q.
How
was
it
to
direct
Sidharth
Malhotra
and
Kiara
Advani?

A.
Siddharth
and
Kiara
are
my
best
cast
actually.
For
me
Vikram
Batra
is
Sidharth
Malhotra
and
Dimple
is
Kiara
Advani.
In
fact,
no
one
can
be
better
than
these
two
to
play
these
characters.
I
am
very
happy.
Let
me
tell
you,
if
you
find
the
right
cast
for
your
film,
then
50
percent
of
your
work
ends
there.
The
other
50
percent
is
making
it
and
getting
it
performed.
What
I
really
liked
the
most
is
that
Sidharth
looks
completely
different
in
his
character
from
the
real
life.
He
has
really
given
his
all
to
play
the
character
of
Captain
Vikram
Batra.
And
Kiara
is
also
a
wonderful
actress,
she
has
done
a
wonderful
job.

Q.
Vikram
Batra’s
story
is
a
known
one
and
also
very
close
to
people’s
heart.
So,
while
directing
a
content
like
this,
as
a
director,
where
do
you
draw
the
line
between
creative
liberty
and
original
information?

A.
All
these
things
were
taken
care
of,
during
the
scripting
before
the
shooting,
we
had
kept
in
mind
that
how
much
real
story
we
need
to
tell..
and
where
creative
liberty
can
be
taken.
Or
how
dramatic
you
are
going
to
make
the
film,
all
those
decisions
we
have
to
take
first.
I
would
like
to
say
that
I
have
tried
my
best
to
stay
close
to
what
actually
happened.
Yes,
I’ve
taken
creative
liberty,
but
you
won’t
find
anything
too
loud.
All
I
had
to
do
during
the
shoot
was
to
stick
to
the
decisions
I
made.
At
that
time,
I
didn’t
want
to
change
anything.

Q.
War
films
or
patriotic
films
mostly
come
with
a
risk
of
controversies.
Is
the
team
anxious
about
it?

A.
See,
when
you
work
with
complete
honesty,
and
sincerity,
stay
true
to
your
film,
then
you
don’t
have
any
fear.
So,
I’m
not
worried
either.
Also,
if
there
is
going
to
be
any
controversy,
if
people
would
like
to
find
an
issue
in
it,
it’s
their
own
intentions
and
motivation
or
whatsoever.
We
have
got
clearance
from
everyone
from
Vikram
Batra’s
family,
from
the
Indian
Army,
who
have
seen
the
film.
We
all
are
very
happy
about
it
because
we
tried
to
do
our
best
as
a
technical
team,
as
a
producer
and
as
makers.
How
much
truth
and
how
honestly
a
story
can
be
told
is
just
what
we
have
tried
to
show.

Q.
How
has
Vikram
Batra’s
family
reacted
after
seeing
the
film?

A.
They
were
very
happy
to
see
the
trailer
of
the
film.
I
didn’t
get
a
chance
to
talk
to
the
parents
much,
but
I
did
talk
to
Vishal
Batra.
He
is
the
only
person
who
has
seen
the
film.
He
was
very
excited.
We
are
waiting
to
show
the
film
to
the
family
and
the
Indian
Army.
We
got
approval
from
the
Defense
Ministry.

Q.
So,
you
were
constantly
in
touch
with
the
Batra
family
during
the
making
of
the
film?

A.
Yes,
we
were
definitely
in
touch
with
the
family.
And
along
with
them
we
were
also
in
touch
with
the
officials.
Whatever
research
we
did
for
a
few
months,
we
gathered
all
that
information
before
shooting.
Sometimes
when
we
had
some
doubts,
we
had
the
liberty
to
call
the
authorities
at
any
given
time.
We
have
got
a
lot
of
support
from
the
Indian
Army
as
two
officers
were
constantly
with
us
during
the
shooting,
who
helped
us
understand
the
technicalities.

Q.
As
now
the
film
is
releasing
on
OTT,
do
you
see
this
as
an
opportunity
as
it
has
a
worldwide
reach?

A.
Absolutely,
there’s
no
doubt
about
it.
In
one
day
your
content
reaches
every
household.
Anyone
can
watch
your
movie.
The
main
idea
behind
making
a
film
is
that
it
has
to
reach
the
people.
And
Amazon
Prime
Video
is
going
to
do
that
for
us.
Yes,
it
is
a
theatrical
film,
it
has
been
shot
with
that
scale,
but
the
story
will
have
the
same
impact
on
OTT
as
well.
The
impact
of
the
story
is
not
going
to
change.
The
experience
may
be
different
but
the
effect
will
probably
be
the
same.
I
am
expecting
it.

Q.
Lastly,
what
we
should
expect
to
see
in
Shershaah;
the
more
of
Vikram
Batra’s
personal
life
story
or
Kargil
War?

A.
The
audience
will
see
Captain
Vikram
Batra
as
a
person,
because
he
was
a
simple
man
who
has
become
a
legend.
What
are
his
achievements,
what
kind
of
person
he
was
and
what
he
accomplished
during
the
war,
is
what
you
will
see
in
the
film.