Did Vikram Batra And Dimple Cheema Actually Get Married?

Vikram Batra Dimple Cheema married? There is a scene in the recently released film Shershaah, based on life of Kargil War martyr Captain Vikram Batra , which has left viewers conflicted about his relationship with his girlfriend Dimple Cheema. In the scene, we see Batra (played by Sidharth Malhotra) prick his thumb and use his blood as sindoor to apply on Cheema's (Kiara Advani in the film) forehead. Batra's brother has however clarified in an interview that the deceased Captain and Cheema weren't even engaged, as being said by several media outlets.

After Vikram Batra passed away during the 1999 Kargil War, Cheema refused to marry anyone and to this day continues to live as his widow. The martyred Captian's twin brother Vishal revealed in a recent interview that both he and his parents tried to to convince Cheema to get married and move ahead in life, but she chose to remain single. Vishal Batra also said that while the family was looking to get them married soon, "the engagement hadn't happened".

So was Batra actually married to Cheema? Are the sequences depicted in the film true, or are these modifications made to the original narrative, served to viewers with a disclaimer that plays out at the beginning of the film?

Vikram Batra and Dimple Cheema Love Story

Batra and Cheema met each other at Punjab University, where the two had enrolled in the same post-graduate course- MA in English. Neither Batra, nor Cheema managed to finish their MA. After Batra cleared the Combined Defence Services Examination in first year of the course, his left his higher studies midway for his training. Despite the fact that Batra would be away for long spells of time due to the nature of his service, his relationship with Cheema only grew stronger and the two eventually realised that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.

Did Vikram Batra actually marry Dimple Cheema?

In an ">interview four years ago, Dimple Cheema recalled that it was a ritual for the couple to visit Mansa Devi temple and Nada Saheb gurudwara. During one of their visits to the gurudwara, while doing a parikrama, Batra was walking behind Cheema. "On completing the parikrama he suddenly said, 'Congratulations Mrs Batra!' I swirled around to see him holding one end of my dupatta. He gave me a very beautiful smile and said, 'Didn't you realise that this is the fourth time we are doing this parikrama?'"

During one of his visits home, Dimple Cheema raised the issue of their marriage as she was feeling a bit insecure. In response, Batra took out a blade from his wallet, put a cut on his thumb and filled her maang with his blood. Cheema went on to add that this was the most cherished moment in her life till date.

So how did the film get this sequence spot on?

Seems like the crew behind Shershaah did their research right. Kiara Advani, who played Dimple Cheema in the film, also met with her prior to filming her part. While spending time with Cheema, it is also possible that Advani got a first hand narrative on their relationship, which helped while filming of sequences between the two characters in the film.

Whatever may be the reason, we now know that while Batra and Cheema did go through the sequences depicted in the film, they were not officially engaged or married.

Suggested Reading:

Shershaah: How Kiara Advani Prepared To Play Dimple Cheema

Kargil Hero Vikram Batra And Dimple Cheema’s Love Story Will Bring Tears To Your Eyes

Meet Dimple Cheema, Captain Vikram Batra's Love Interest Who Lives As His Widow Now