Sriram Raghavan’s next is Ikkis with Agastya Nanda.
Sriram Raghavan opened up about choosing to direct Agastya Nanda starrer Ikkis, which is different from his usual films.
The much awaited film Ikkis, directed by Sriram Raghavan, has finally been announced at the Prime Video event. The battle drama, produced by Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films, stars The Archies fame Agastya Nanda as the lead. The film claims to be a spectacular production that explores the coming-of-age tale of Arun Khetarpal, the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra. In his latest interview, Sriram Raghavan revealed that this film is unlike his previous ones since he wanted to take a ‘break’ from thrillers.
Speaking with the Indian Express, Sriram Raghavan shared, “It is a story I connected with and liked. Parts of it are very emotional, it also has battle sequences and action in the typical sense of the word. Hopefully, we have tried and done it differently. It is a war film, and it is a drama. It was a break from the kind of movies I was doing, and I wanted that, so that the next time I am doing a thriller, I feel fresh. That there is no baggage.”
He added, “When I make films, I trust that the audience is intelligent and doesn’t like to be spoon-fed. You try your best to make the film for your ideal audience. There is a quote by Billy Wilder which says that each member of the audience can be an imbecile but collectively in a hall they are pure genius. They know what works and what doesn’t. I wish filmmakers would judge that beforehand, but we try.”
Reportedly, Varun Dhawan was earlier cast as the lead, Arun Khetarpal, but the decision to rope in Agastya Nanda came later. According to a source quoted by Bollywood Hungama, the reason behind replacing Varun was the “The age factor.” The film is based on Arun Khetarpal, a Param Vir Chakra-winning soldier who died while defending our country at the age of 21. The source mentioned that Varun is about 35 years old and hence does not correspond to the role. The source added, “When Ikkis was announced three years ago, Sriram thought he would pull it off with Varun. But now everyone felt the actor playing Arun Khetarpal must be younger. Agastya is just the right age to play Arun Khetarpal.”
Earlier, Sriram Raghavan stated that Ikkis would not feature a fictionalised version of Arun Khetarpal’s story. He underlined that the movie would avoid a simplistic or too heroic narrative like a children’s comic. Furthermore, the focus will not be on Arun Khetarpal’s childhood. Instead, Ikkis will focus on a young officer who made the ultimate sacrifice just after turning 21. The story dives into the poignant journey from youth to adulthood. Ikkis also stars the legendary Dharmendra.
