Shershaah producer Shabbir Boxwala has said that Salman Khan had approached him for casting his brother-in-law Aayush Sharma as Captain Vikram Batra in Shershaah. However, since Sidharth Malhotra had already been finalised for the role Aayush couldn't be offered the project. Sidharth has been receiving a lot of appreciation for his role as Batra.
Speaking to mid-day Shabbir said Salman had hoped Aayush would make his Bollywood debut with Shershaah. "Salman Khan approached me at a time when I was in talks with Junglee Pictures. He wanted Shershaah to be Aayush's debut movie and was looking to collaborate with me. However, late Vikram Batra's family had already given their nod about Sidharth playing the war hero and a meeting had been arranged between the actor and the family", the producer told the publication.
He added, "It would have been unethical to replace Sidharth with another actor. Captain Batra's family gave me the rights and showed immense faith in me, and I didn't want to go wrong. I explained the situation to Salman and he was very understanding. Even Aayush took it in the right spirit".
Aayush finally made his debut with Loveyatri, under Salman's production house Salman Khan Films, alongside Warina Hussain.
Shershaah revolves around Captain Vikram Batra, an Indian Army officer who was awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his actions during the Kargil War in 1999. His code name during operations was 'Shershaah'.
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