First film review of 2026….. IKKIS

I got a lot of flak for not going to see Dhurandhar… people actually complained that they were waiting for my review and I had let them down! For some reason that film never appealed to me especially when I saw that the running time was about three and a half hours. Also I weighed my options… a long long gory film against a game of golf or an afternoon of mahjong and I’m afraid the latter things prevailed! It’s hysterical that my friends expect me to waste my time, spend my money on buying frightfully expensive tickets and break my diet by eating popcorn ( I mean who can see a film without popcorn??) just so that I can write my views on the film!! However I must admit it was quite nice to realise just how many people actually read my reviews so it’s all good 😊.

Therefore I readily agreed to Vinay’s suggestion to go and see Ikkis today. This film is based on a true story of the 1971 war between India and Pakistan. It’s quite ironic that it is Dharmendra’s swan song film and Agastya Nanda’s debut film. 

This is the story of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, India’s youngest Param Vir Chakra recipient, who at the age of 21 years of age displayed extraordinary bravery in the 1971 war, sacrificing his life while destroying enemy tanks.

Dharmendra plays Khetarpal’s father and travels to Lahore for a college reunion three decades after losing his son. He tries to piece together what exactly happened and why his son did not withdraw as was expected. 

The film alternates between two time periods – 1971 and 2001 – as it pieces together the events that occurred. Jaideep Ahlawat plays the role of a Pakistan Army Brigadier brilliantly, who plays host to the Indian war hero’s father during his stay in Lahore. 

There are a lot of emotional scenes and though it is a bit slow in parts I really enjoyed the film. A big shout out to our dear friend Colonel Mohan Burman and his wife Sushma who actually went to fight in the war leaving behind his wife and 3 month year old daughter. It gives me goosebumps thinking about this and about the sacrifices that all our armed forces personnel gave to ensure that we are living the way we are today. Jai Hind! 🙌