Akshay Kumar's niece to make her Bollywood debut with 'Ikkis'
Make way for one more actor from a film family. If a report by Peeping Moon is to be believed, Simar Bhatia, the niece of Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar, is set to make her cinematic debut in Ikkis. The movie is directed by Sriram Raghavan and produced by Dinesh Vijan. It also marks the theatrical debut of Agastya Nanda, grandson of Amitabh Bachchan. The film is set for a January 10, 2025 release in cinemas.
Bhatia secured her debut role based on merit: Report
Bhatia secured her debut role based on merit rather than leveraging family connections, according to the report. An insider shared, "Although Alka (Kumar's sister) is a camera-shy person and has always stayed away from the limelight despite producing several movies with Akshay, her daughter Simar has always been interested in acting and is excited to get on a film set to live her dream." Bhatia has been paired opposite Nanda and has already filmed most of her scenes.
A touching coming-of-age drama set against the 1971 Indo-Pak War
Ikkis is labeled as a touching coming-of-age drama set against the backdrop of the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The film tells the story of Arun Khetrapal, the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra. It explores father-son dynamics with Nanda playing Second Lieutenant Arun Khetrapal and veteran actor Dharmendra portraying his father, Brigadier M.L. Khetrapal. The film began production in February 2024.
This is how Raghavan described the film earlier
While speaking to The Indian Express in March, the Merry Christmas director revealed, "It was a break from the kind of movies I was doing, and I wanted that, so that the next time I am doing a thriller, I feel fresh." When asked about his future plans, he hinted at "toying with two-three subjects." Notably, Raghavan is known for directing and writing neo-noir thrillers, so Ikkis is a change of genre for him.
