Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan’s Grandson Agastya Nanda To Star In Sriram Raghavan's Next 'Ikkis'

Dharmendra celebrated his 87th birthday on Thursday and a new movie was announced on the occasion. Dharmendra has teamed up again with his film 'Johnny Gaddaar' director Sriram Raghavan for ‘Ikkis.’ 

Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan’s Grandson Agastya Nanda To Star In Sriram Raghavan's Next 'Ikkis' ( Image Source :PR Handout )

New Delhi: Dharmendra celebrated his 87th birthday on Thursday and a new movie was announced on the occasion. Dharmendra has teamed up again with his film 'Johnny Gaddaar' director Sriram Raghavan for the film ‘Ikkis.’ 

The film, also starring Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson Agastya Nanda, is a war film based on the life of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal PVC. He is the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, who was killed during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. 

The film is produced by Dinesh Vijan under his production banner Maddock Films. The filming will start in 2023. 

The project was first announced in 2019 on the 69th birth anniversary of Arun Khetrpal with Varun Dhawan attached to play the lead role. The film got pushed due to the coronavirus pandemic, leading to Dhawan's exit over scheduling conflict. 

‘Ikkis’ marks the second big project for Agastya, son of Shweta Bachchan Nanda and Nikhil Nanda. The young actor is set to headline Zoya Akhtar's ‘The Archies’ series. 

The Netflix musical also marks Shah Rukh Khan's daughter Suhana Khan and Janhvi Kapoor's sister Khushi Kapoor's foray into acting. It is set to launch on the streamer in 2023. 

Arun Khetarpal was born in Pune on October 14, 1950. His father was an instructor at the College of Military Engineering in Pune. He joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) at the age of 16. He graduated from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun on June 13, 1971. During the war with Pakistan in December 1971, Arun took charge of a tank, and while he was ordered to leave the tank, he didn’t move as he saw the enemy moving forward. He fought on destroying one final tank before he was finally overwhelmed. However, his actions had denied a vital breakthrough for Pakistani forces and instead put the Indians in a stronger position. His final words over the radio to a superior officer were, "No, Sir, I will not abandon my tank. My main gun is still working and I will get these bastards."