Sriram Raghavan's 'Ekkis' to go on floors by 2021 third-quarter
Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan's upcoming movie on the life of Param Vir Chakra recipient Arun Khetarpal martyred during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War, Ekkis, has received a production timeline. Producer Dinesh Vijan said the Varun Dhawan-starrer will go on floors by the end of the third quarter this year. Dhawan is expected to start prep for his role after finishing Bhediya and attending to other commitments.
The project is being produced by Vijan under the banner of Maddock Films. Speaking about the film, Vijan told Bollywood Hungama that Ekkis will be their "most ambitious project" that requires "rigorous" preparation. Lead star Dhawan will be undergoing serious training for two and a half months, and only after the pre-production has been satisfactorily completed will the film hit the floors.
Ekkis will mark the second collaboration of Dhawan, Vijan, and Raghavan after their 2015 hit endeavor Badlapur. Earlier, Raghavan had detailed the tough training that awaits Dhawan. "He has to lose weight, take the training that's meant for army officers, spend some time at the National Defence Academy (NDA) and go through the grind to prepare for his role (sic)," the director had said.
Raghavan had specified that he wishes to finish the shoot by January 2022 so that the weather remains favorable according to his vision for the film. The story is about Second Lieutenant Khetarpal who was only 21 when he bravely faced the attacks from enemy forces. He was honored with India's highest military decoration, posthumously, for his service to the nation.
Apart from helming Ekkis and the Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif-starrer, tentatively titled Merry Christmas, Raghavan also has an exciting production endeavor ahead of him. He will be backing a Netflix film, Monica O My Darling, with actors Rajkummar Rao and Huma Qureshi in the lead. Directed by Vasan Bala, it will be produced by Raghavan and Sanjay Routray under the Matchbox Pictures banner.
