'Ikkis': Sriram Raghavan, Agastya Nanda's War Drama to Release in December

Sriram Raghavan's Ikkis, an upcoming war drama inspired by the life of Param Vir Chakra awardee Arun Khetarpal, has completed production. Produced by Maddock Films, the movie is slated for release in December, 2025. The makers made the announcement on Arun Khetarpal's birth anniversary, sharing first-look posters of Agastya Nanda as the young war hero who laid down his life in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War.

Ikkis also stars veteran actor Dharmendra in a key role. They are joined by Jaideep Ahlawat and Sikandar Kher. Nanda, grandson of Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, made his acting debut in The Archies, directed by Zoya Akhtar.

Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal was a young recruit in the Indian Army's 17 Poona Horse regiment. During the Battle of Basantar (in December, 1971), Khetarpal, just 21, bravely fought alongside his squadron against a Pakistani counter-offensive. He refused to abandon his tank and destroyed several enemy vehicles before being fatally wounded. He was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military honour. He was the youngest recipient of the award at the time of his death.

Ikkis marks a change of gears for Raghavan, best known for directing dark crime thrillers like Andhadhun and Badlapur. The film is backed by his longtime collaborator Dinesh Vijan.

Speaking about Khetarpal's exploits in battle, Raghavan had told The Hindu in an interview, "He did something spectacular during the last two hours of his life. This is not a biopic in the usual sense of it. There’s another part to it, which is what happens to his father, 30 years later, when he goes to Pakistan. So it’s a drama of sorts.”

He also spoke about staging exciting tank battles in the film. "I want to balance the drama with three or four interesting tank battles. Indian films have not really done a proper tank battle sequence. These are my ambitions, so let’s see, because many of these tanks are not physically available currently.”