'Ikkis': Agastya Nanda reveals expectations from Sriram Raghavan's film
What's the story
Agastya Nanda is all set to make his Bollywood big screen debut with Sriram Raghavan's Ikkis. In the film, he portrays Param Vir Chakra recipient Arun Khetarpal, who was killed in action during the 1971 Indo-Pak war at the age of 21. Speaking to Bollywood Hungama about his role and more, Nanda said he doesn't want to hold any expectations from Ikkis but hopes audiences enjoy it.
Role preparation
'Every place you go to, they honor him...'
Nanda said, "The Army and all the people we did spend time with...they emphasize the kind of impact Arun Khetarpal has had on one, the Indian Army, and two, just the country as a whole." "Every place you go to, they honor him with his photograph." "So I think that understanding of what he really meant to people came to me during my training time."
Collaboration insights
Nanda's experience working with Dharmendra and director Raghavan
Nanda called working with Dharmendra a "privilege" and "memorable moment." He said, "It's such a lovely experience." Speaking about his director, Nanda said there wasn't much room for improvisation since they were portraying a real-life hero. "We had to kind of go off of what factual knowledge we knew about him, about the events he went through. And there was a lot of emphasis on being as authentic as we could."
Film expectations
'I feel deeply satisfied with the amount of effort...'
Nanda said, "I don't want to hold any expectations. I feel we tried to make the best film we could." "It's up to the audiences whether they feel it is a good film or not but I feel deeply satisfied with the amount of effort we put into it." He added, "I was extremely excited and anxious to hold this responsibility. It's not a small responsibility to hold." The film will hit theaters on January 1.