From ‘dhurandhar’ in Army life to military consultant for ‘Dhurandhar’

He was also instrumental in liaising with the Directorate of Strategic Communications in Army HQs to get permissions of various kinds and also the Air HQs as MI-17 helicopter was used in the shooting. “We were in Ladakh for a week in a location near Bazgo and also shot in Chandigarh. I am also working on the second part of Dhurandhar which will be out next year but I am not allowed to divulge anything about it under my contract,” he added.

After retirement from the Army, Col Shahi initially worked with the travel firm Cox and Kings on tourism projects like the Horn Bill Festival in Nagaland, Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj and events in Ladakh. “In Dhurandhar I could relate to many events as I have served extensively on the Kashmir valley in counter insurgency operations and also in the Kargil conflict where I was part of the Karokaram Wing of Ladakh Scouts in Batalil sector,” he said.

Col Shahi also did a stint in the National Security Guards (NSG) and is well versed with anti-terror operations besides having been deployed twice on Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield.

“It was in 2017 when I was serving under Lt Gen YK Joshi, then GOC of 3 Infantry Division in Ladakh that I first came in touch with the movie industry. I was asked to provide assistance to the makers of the movie Shershah which was on the life of Capt Vikram Batra of Kargil fame. Incidentally, Vikram served was under me in JAKRIF Centre in Jabalpur where I was a company commander,” he said.

After taking retirement from the Army and initially working in adventure tourism, he was contacted by many movie producers for technical assistance relating to Army. “After Shershah became a hit I started getting offers by word of mouth. I have worked with directors like Nikhil Advani, Ram Madhwani and movie houses like Dharma Productions, Colour Yellow Productions etc,” he said.

Colonel Shahi says in the world of military-based cinema, where every salute, every uniform detail, every battlefield tactic, and every word spoken by a soldier must resonate with realism, there exists a crucial yet often overlooked role of the military consultant.

“A military consultant is the bridge between reel and real, ensuring that the valor, discipline, and ethos of the armed forces are portrayed with unerring accuracy. It is our task to conceptualize realistic military characters, scenarios, and dialogues. We also have to work closely with costume designers and art directors to ensure that insignias, uniforms, weaponry, and set designs are not only visually accurate but also carry the weight of military tradition and pride,” he said.