Agastya Nanda reminds me of Amitabh Bachchan: Sriram Raghavan
Bollywood auteur Sriram Raghavan is gearing up to direct Agastya Nanda in Ikkis, an upcoming war drama inspired by Param Vir Chakra awardee Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal. Nanda recently stepped into showbiz through Zoya Akhtar's The Archies and is set to begin filming for Ikkis soon, which will mark his theatrical debut. Interestingly, the film will also mark Raghavan's deviation from his usual neo-noir thrillers. Now, in an interview, Raghavan has revealed how Nanda resembles his maternal grandfather, Amitabh Bachchan.
Raghavan called Nanda 'refreshingly normal'
Raghavan recently told Film Companion, "When I first met him (Nanda), he reminded me of [Bachchan] in Saat Hindustani and Anand." "He's got a certain charm, and he looks the part also...I am looking forward to working with him. He's a guy who is refreshingly normal, and there's no bells and whistles," he added. The filmmaker also said that he liked Nanda's character in The Archies, and he is "looking at diving with him into more subjects."
Nanda's experience of meeting Raghavan
Meanwhile, Nanda also shared his excitement about working with the Andhadhun director, recalling their initial meeting as a "crazy experience." He mentioned introducing himself to industry professionals, one of them being leading producer Dinesh Vijan, who facilitated his meeting with the Merry Christmas director. "[After meeting Raghavan], I figured out what the (Ikkis) story was and it was with him," said Nanda, the son of Bachchan's daughter Shweta Nanda.
Nanda on undergoing military training for his role
To prepare for his Ikkis role, Nanda trained with military personnel. He said, "Army men's lifestyle, their discipline, their integrity, I am a fan because I have gone to boarding school so I have had like 5% of what that life is like but going to the regiment and the respect I have for my country and the army now is on another level." "The passion and the drive to do justice to them is through the roof," he said.
Who was PVC Khetarpal?
Khetarpal, who was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously, was martyred during the Battle of Basantar at Shakargarh during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War. His PVC citation on the Indian Army's website says, "Khetarpal had shown the best qualities of leadership, tenacity of purpose and the will to close in with the enemy. This was an act of courage and self-sacrifice far beyond the call of duty." Ikkis also stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Dharmendra.
