Actor Sidharth Malhotra's upcoming movie Shershaah will be released on Amazon Prime Video on August 12, the streaming platform confirmed on Thursday. The film, directed by Tamil filmmaker Vishnuvaradhan is a war drama 'inspired by' the life of Kargil hero Captain Vikram Batra and celebrates his courage. It has been jointly produced by Dharma Productions and Kaash Entertainment.
Vishnuvardhan, widely regarded as one of Kollywood's most successful filmmakers, is best known for directing the Ajith Kumar movies Billa and Arrambam. He also made an impact in Telugu cinema when he wielded the microphone for 'Power Star' Pawan Kalyan's Panjaa, which has attained a cult status over the years. The buzz is that Shershaah may help him start his Bollywood innings on a good note
The flick features Kiara Advani, who rose to fame with her work in the Shahid Kapoor-starrer Kabir Singh as the leading lady and marks her first collaboration with 'Sid', The supporting cast includes Raj Arjun, Boss actor Shiv Pandit, and Nikitin Dheer.
Shershaah comes at a time when OTT has emerged as an alternative to theatres amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Gulabo Sitabo, starring Amitabh Bachchan, was the first major Hindi movie to premiere digitally.
Biggies such as Dil Bechara, Laxmii, Sadak 2 and Coolie No 1 soon followed suit. Films such as Mumbai Saga and Roohi were released in theatres earlier this year but the results were not encouraging. The perception is that Shershaah may add a new dimension to the 'theatres vs OTT' debate.
Sidharth, meanwhile, is going through a busy phase on the work front. He was last seen in the 2019 release Marjaavaan, which clicked with a section of the audience despite the mixed reviews. He has Thank God, co-starring Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet, in his kitty. He is also working on the spy-thriller Mission Majnu, which marks the 'Karnataka Crush' Rashmika Mandanna's Bollywood debut.