Agastya Nanda, who plays Second Lieutenant Arun Kheterpal in Sriram Raghavan’s Ikkis, speaks about the role with a mix of reverence, emotion, and a sense of responsibility that clearly goes beyond performance. For him, stepping into the shoes of India’s youngest Param Vir Chakra awardee was not just an acting assignment, it was a deeply personal journey.
With disarming honesty, Agastya reflects on his instinctive connection to the story: “Without trying to sound grand, there is something about being Indian that instantly connects you to the army. It’s the same collective emotion we all share like when we watch a World Cup cricket final. So when I first heard it was about a young boy who won the Param Vir Chakra, the sense of responsibility came in immediately.”
Before the shoot began, Agastya travelled to Pathankot to understand the life, spirit, and legacy of Arun Kheterpal. That visit, he says, changed him. “My first trip to learn about Arun Kheterpal was to Pathankot. I remember reaching there and seeing his statue right in front of me… I looked at it and felt shivers. I’m not trying to sound strange but I genuinely felt goosebumps. Just standing there in front of his aura hit me in a way I didn’t expect.”
Agastya reflects on what it means to portray someone who showed extraordinary conviction at such a young age. “Being 21 is very young. When you’re young in this country, people tell you what is right and wrong. But here was a boy who decided for himself what he believed was right and he had the conviction to stand by it. That is deeply inspiring.”
He admits that youth often comes with impulsiveness, but in Arun Kheterpal’s case, it became a source of pure bravery. “When we are young, we are not always logical. We think from our heart and we follow our heart. Arun Kheterpal didn’t follow logic , he followed his heart. And I will continue the rest of my life like that. That is the message I’ve taken from him.”
For Agastya, playing Arun Kheterpal was more than a cinematic challenge, it was a transformative experience that reshaped how he views courage, conviction, and youth. As Ikkis approaches release, audiences will witness not just a performance, but the emotional journey of a young actor honouring a young national hero.