Ikkis (2026) Review!!

Synopsis – An untold true story of India’s youngest Param Vir Chakra awardee – Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal.

My Take – While the world awaits the familiar chest pumping & jingoistic war cries of the upcoming nostalgia bait that is going to be director Anurag Singh’s upcoming Border 2, National Award-winning filmmaker Sriram Raghavan (Andhadhun, Badlapur) returns to the Battle of Basantar to not just honor a real-life martyr, but to also take a shot at peace at a time when everyone seems to be gearing for another world war.

Rather than just retelling a straight-up war story about a young man’s exemplary courage, the film, inspired by the life of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who displayed extraordinary bravery during the 1971 India–Pakistan war and was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, pleas for empathy across borders as it explores the harrowing fallout of conflict, emphasizing on the futility of war and the personal toll it exacts. A rare war film that’s deeply anti-war.

Sure, it’s not exactly revolutionary, the pacing is unhurried, the storytelling old-fashioned and the visuals consciously insignificant, yet its emotional sincerity that speaks of the residual connections between people regardless of borders, and stellar performances elevate the overall experience.

Reminding us that wars are not only fought on battlefields, but some battles continue in memories, relationships and silence. Despite its flaws, the film deserves appreciation for its honesty, emotional depth, restraint and approach.

The story unfolds across two timelines: the year 1971, during the war, and the year 2001, when the memories of that war still linger. The first one follows Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal (Agastya Nanda), who along with romancing Kiran (Simar Bhatia), is training hard to become a tank commander under the beady eye of the Lt. Col. Hanut Singh (Rahul Dev), experienced Risaldar Sagat Singh (Sikander Kher) and Capt Vijendra Malhotra (Vivaan Shah). His whole life seems ahead of him that is until he is ordered to take into battle at Basantar, a border village overrun by Pakistani tanks.

The second timeline follows his father (Retd.) Brigadier Madan Lal Khetarpal (Dharmendra), who arrives in Pakistan, when the two neighbors took a diplomatic detour with ‘Aman Ki Asha’ after the Kargil conflict, and begins retracing his older son’s final route with the help of his warmly host Brigadier Khwaja Mohammad Naseer (Jaideep Ahlawat), who has been nursing a long-held, heartbreaking secret for the past 30 years.

Surprisingly, the script co-written by Raghavan, Arijit Biswas and Pooja Ladha Surti sidesteps the vengeance-fueled hyperbole that results when Indians run into Pakistanis. This is a war film, but as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that it is less about the battlefield and more about the cost of war, its lasting impact, and the emptiness it leaves behind.

The film does not rely on gunfire or loud patriotic slogans to define bravery. Instead, it explores courage through silence, memories and unfinished relationships. While the 147-minute runtime feels slightly stretched and the romance around author Ernest Hemingway’s When the Bell Tolls is not as passionate as it aspires to be, but once it settles down, the film creates a believable world within the cantonment, and the figures of speech begin to take hold. Rather than defining bravery, the film allows viewers to feel it.

One of the film’s biggest strengths is that it never turns war into spectacle. Tank battles, confined spaces and the constant sense of danger are depicted realistically, with limited use of CGI. Here, director Raghavan avoids slow-motion heroics and loud patriotic chants, a choice that works in the film’s favor, though some viewers may find the approach subdued.

Performance wise, Agastya Nanda immerses himself fully in the role, delivering a sincere and impactful turn. He conveys the resolve, innocence, and restlessness of a young soldier through his deep, vulnerable eyes. Sometimes, in a single frame. The boy’s anguish is very Bachchanesque and demands attention.

Alongside him, the late Dharmendra leaves a lasting impression in what is said to be his final film. As Arun’s father, his performance is natural and deeply moving, free from any exaggeration. He relies more on silence, glances and restrained expressions than dialogue. His scenes with the ever excellent Jaideep Ahlawat form the soul of the film, conversations that feel like exchanges between two generations, two perspectives, bound by shared loss.

Debutante Simar Bhatia (Akshay Kumar‘s niece) is good as the spirited girl-friend, in her long dresses, and low-cut sandals. Though her character could have been explored further, her presence adds a human touch. In the support roles, Rahul Dev, Sikandar Kher, Vivaan Shah, Ekavali Khanna and Deepak Dobriyal add heft to the narrative. On the whole, ‘Ikkis‘ is a sensitive & tear-jerking homage to a war hero that values empathy over spectacle.