Amazon Prime’s latest release Shershaah based on the Kargil war hero Captain Vikram Batra stars Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani. The movie shows how the captain fought till his last breath to recapture point 4875 in what is still considered to be one of the toughest operations in mountain warfare.

Alongside the Kargil war, it also shows Captain Batra’s love story.

Just like the movie, Batra and Dimple Cheema met during their college days at the Punjab University in Chandigarh.

The two fell in love and promised to be with each other despite Dimple’s family disapproving of their relationship.

indiatimes

While they never married legally, it once happened that Batra held Dimple’s dupatta while doing the parikrama at the Mansa Devi Temple. This according to them was their marriage.

He even applied sindoor to Dimple’s forehead with his blood when she became insecure about his absence. While training in Dehradun, he used to come to Chandigarh whenever he could.

The couple were waiting to get married once the Kargil war was over. Captain Vikram Batra got martyred while fighting for the nation in 1999. Dimple Cheema never married anyone and decided to stay his widow.

Thinking about having a conversation with Vikram, she told The Quint in 2017: 

Not a single day in the past 17 years, have I felt detached from you. It feels as if you are away on a posting. I feel so proud when people talk about your accomplishments. But along with that there is some regret in the corner of my heart. You should have been here, sharing, listening to the stories of your brave deeds, of how you are the inspiration to the youth of today. I know in my heart that we are going to meet again, it’s just a matter of time.

Kiara Advani, who played Dimple in the film, met her before they started shooting for Shershaah. She spoke to PTI on how Dimple is an inspiration to her.

She represents today’s Indian woman, who makes her own choices and stands by it proudly. Her decision to remain unmarried and her faith in eternal love will always inspire me and hold a special place in my heart.
The Quint

Dimple is a school teacher and till date, she remembers the details of their 4 years of courtship and proudly says that she loves Captain Vikram Batra.