Himanshu Malhotra recalls witnessing early sparks between Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani on Shershaah sets: 'We could sense it blooming'

Actor Himanshu Malhotra, who played Major Rajiv Kapoor in the 2021 war drama Shershaah, recently opened up about his experience shooting the film and revealed some behind-the-scenes anecdotes—one of which involved witnessing the initial sparks of romance between lead actors Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani.In an interview with SCREEN, Himanshu recalled how he bagged the role in Shershaah quite unexpectedly. “I had auditioned for a film for Kunal Kohli, but that didn’t happen, and I got slightly disappointed. Then I gave a test for a film, but I didn’t know it was for Shershaah. In the audition script, it was just written Captain Vikram, not even Batra was mentioned,” he shared. Months later, he received a call informing him he had been cast in Shershaah, backed by Dharma Productions and based on the Kargil War.Reflecting on his time with co-star Sidharth Malhotra, Himanshu said, “Working with Sidharth was very nice. He was very warm and cordial. We were in Kargil. I shot there for 20 days, and he was there for 30-32 days. Along with us, there was Nikitin Dheer, Shiv Pandit—we had all become like a unit.”Himanshu also remembered how their bonding deepened due to unexpected circumstances. “At that time, Article 370 was imposed in Kashmir. We were stuck in Kargil, and when the shoot used to get cancelled, we used to have music sessions from morning till night, and Sidharth was a part of that.”Touching upon Sidharth and Kiara’s relationship, he recalled sensing something special brewing between the two. “We didn’t know much about their love story, but we could sense it blooming. I think it was Palanpur where we saw both of them together… That’s where the funeral sequence was shot. That was the only time we saw Kiara, because after that we moved to Kargil,” Himanshu revealed. “I think they must have just started then. We met them, took pictures, and all of us sat together… It must have escalated during the Chandigarh part.”Filming in Kashmir during such a politically tense time posed challenges for the cast and crew. “It was a tense moment, but it was the only time we could shoot. Even the makers didn’t know something like this would happen,” Himanshu said. “Fortunately, the defence ministry, Dharma, and everyone else took care of us. We were surrounded by Army officers. We had some wonderful interactions with them.”Looking ahead, Himanshu Malhotra will next be seen in Kesari Veer, playing an antagonist alongside Vivek Oberoi. The film hits theatres on May 31. He also has Rana Naidu Season 2 in the pipeline.