Not Sidharth Malhotra, Salman Khan had another choice to play Vikram Batra in Shershaah

It was on August 12, 2021, that Sidharth Malhotra's Shershaah based on the real-life of Indian Army Captain Vikram Batra had its release on Amazon Prime Video. Directed by Vishnuvardhan, the film received positive responses from critics and audiences alike, and everybody praised Malhotra for his realistic portrayal of the Indian army captain who shed his life for the nation. And now, the latest reports suggest that Salman Khan had once envisioned the biopic of Vikram Batra with his brother-in-law Aayush Sharma in the lead. Shabbir Boxwala, the producer of Shershaah himself confirmed the news and revealed that the Bollywood Superstar had once approached him with this request. 

Salman Khan wanted Shershaah to be made with Aayush Sharma

In a recent interview, Shabbir Boxwala revealed that Salman Khan hoped that Shershaah will open the red carpet of Bollywood to Aayush Sharma. However, Salman Khan's request came very late, and before that, Boxwala had pitched the name of Sidharth Malhotra to Vikram Batra's family. 

"Salman approached me at a stage when I was in talks with Junglee Pictures. He wanted Shershaah to be Aayush Sharma's debut film and wanted to partner with me on it," Boxwala told Mid Day. 

Interestingly, the family of Vikram Batra too wanted Sidharth Malhotra to play the role of the Param Vir Chakra awardee, and Malhotra's inclusion was confirmed in a subsequent meeting with Batra's family. 

Boxwala decided to stay away from unethical practice

Boxwala revealed that it would have been purely unethical if he dropped Malhotra for Aayush Sharma. The producer also made it clear that Salman Khan and Aayush Sharma understood his situation. 

"It would have been highly unethical to drop him for another actor. When Captain Batra's family gave me the rights, it was a big moment for me. They showed immense trust in me, and I didn't want to go wrong at any step. I explained my predicament to Salman, who was understanding. Aayush was sweet and sportingly said that playing a double role in his debut movie might be a tall order," added Boxwala. 

Apart from Sidharth Malhotra, Shershaah also stars Kiara Advani, Nikitin Dheer, Anil Charanjeet,  Himmanshoo A. Malhotra, and Raj Arjun in other crucial roles.