Ikkis, starring Amitabh Bachchan's grandson Agastya Nanda and Akshay Kumar’s niece Simar Bhatia, also marks legendary superstar Dharmendra's last film and is set for a theatrical release on Thursday, January 1, 2026. The biographical war drama is based on the life of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, PVC. Recently, Ikkis director Sriram Raghavan opened up about why Varun Dhawan was replaced by Agastya.
Sriram Raghavan Reveals Why Varun Dhawan Was Replaced By Agastya Nanda In Ikkis
Speaking to The Hindu, Sriram said he realised that age was a major deciding factor in the story, revealing that in some scenes, Arun Khetarpal, on whom the film is based, is shown as a 19-year-old. "The age when Jeetendra could dance around trees in his 40s is over. The script demanded a fresh face, and Agastya was 21 when he was cast," he added.
'Varun Dhawan Was Keen'
Further, the director added that the makers wanted an actor who was willing to commit to the project for the next two to three years. Simply put, he said, Ikkis is the story of a boy becoming a man, sharing that what Arun did in the last two hours of his life made him a hero.
Sriram, who worked with Varun in Badlapur, shared that the actor was keen and they had even started working on Ikkis, but by the time the preliminary scripting was done, COVID happened and plans changed.
"I wanted Agastya to bring that urge to serve and the innocence about the outcome. I guess Agastya’s eyes reflect it," concluded Raghavan.
In the film, Agastya will be seen as Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal. While Dharamendra has portrayed the role of Arun’s father Brigadier ML Khetarpal (Retd.) in the film.
