'Ikkis' actor Vivaan Shah based character on his uncle
Vivaan Shah, who stars as Captain Vijendra Malhotra in Sriram Raghavan's Ikkis, shared that he shaped his character after his uncle, retired Lieutenant General Zameeruddin Shah.
"I based the character, a great deal of it, on my father's older brother," Vivaan said—making this war film extra personal for him.
Uncle actually fought in the famous Battle of Longewala
Vivaan's uncle isn't just inspiration—he actually fought in the famous Battle of Longewala during the 1971 Indo-Pak War.
The film itself is about Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal's bravery and sacrifice in the Battle of Basantar.
Released January 1 and now streaming on Prime Video, Ikkis also features Agastya Nanda, Dharmendra (in his final role), Jaideep Ahlawat, and Simar Bhatia.
How Vivaan prepared for the role
At its heart, Ikkis is a tribute to Indian soldiers like Khetarpal, who received the Param Vir Chakra for his courage.
To do justice to his role, Vivaan trained with the Ahmednagar Armoured Corps and even learned how to drive tanks—a pretty cool way to step into a soldier's shoes.