On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an announcement that 21 largest unnamed islands in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago will be named after Param Vir Chakra awardees. The naming was done on the occasion of Parakram Diwas, and one of the islands was named after the late Captain Vikram Batra.
The life of the after Kargil War hero was immortalised in the 2021 film ‘Shershaah’ and the acclaimed film featured actor Sidharth Malhortra in the role of Captain Batra. Helmed by Vishnuvardhan, the film was released on Prime Video in August 2021 and got critical acclaim.
On the latest development, Sidharth expressed his happiness that the war hero was being given this recognition. Taking to Twitter, Sidharth wrote in the caption, “The very news that an island in Andaman & Nicobar is named after our hero Capt. Vikram Batra leaves me with goosebumps.”
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He added in his tweet, “My heart swells with pride that I was fortunate to live his role on screen. This step taken by PM @narendramodi ensures that Shershaah lives on forever.” Prior to ‘Shershaah’, the life of Captain Vikram Batra had been portrayed on screen by Abhishek Bachchan in the JP Dutta war film ‘LOC: Kargil’, which was released in 2003.
Captain Batra’s code name Shershaah became popular after a TV interview during the 1999 war. He was a force to reckon with during the war and aided the Indian Army clinch key victories in the captures of Point 5140 and Point 4875.
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Meanwhile, about naming the islands after India’s military heroes, the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement, “This step will be an everlasting tribute to our heroes, several of whom had made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the sovereignty and integrity of the nation.”
Work wise, Sidharth last featured in Netflix film ‘Mission Majnu’, a spy thriller which started streaming on January 20.
