‘Rooting For You, Aggy’: Karan Johar Cheers For Agastya Nanda’s Ikkis, Welcomes Simar Bhatia To The Movies

Sriram Raghavan’s upcoming film ‘Ikkis’ starring Agastya Nanda, Dharmendra, Jaideep Ahlawat, Simar Bhatia and others, is all set to release on New Year 2026. The film is based on the life of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal and centred around the Battle of Basantar during the 1971 India-Pakistan War. While this marks Agastya’s second film after Zoya Akhtar’s 2023 Netflix release ‘The Archies,’ Ikkis is Akshay Kumar’s niece Simar Bhatia’s Bollywood debut film. The makers of Ikkis released the final trailer of the film today. Karan Johar reacted to the trailer, and called it ‘solid’, while also cheering for Agastya. Meanwhile, he also praised Simar Bhatia and welcomed the newcomer to the movies.

Karan Johar Cheers For Ikkis Stars Agastya Nanda

And Simar Bhatia

Soon after the final trailer of Ikkis was released, Karan Johar shared it on his Instagram stories. In his note, cheering for Agastya and Simar, he wrote, “SOLID!!!! Rooting for you Aggy!!!! Welcome to the movies @simarbhatia18…you’re gorgeous!!!” Check out his Instagram story below!

While Agastya portrays Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal in Ikkis, Simar Bhatia will be seen as Kiran. This film marks late actor Dharmendra’s posthumous film appearance, and he plays Brigadier ML Khetarpal (Retd.), Arun Khetarpal’s father in the movie. The cast also includes Jaideep Ahlawat, Shree Bishnoi, Suhasini Mulay, Sikander Kher, Rahul Dev, Vivaan Shah, and others.

Ikkis Final Trailer

The final trailer of the war drama shows Agastya Nanda portraying Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, and glimpses of his bravery, courage, and fearless determination. Late actor Dharmendra’s glimpse in the trailer left fans emotional. He is seen as Brigadier ML Khetarpal (Retd.), Arun Khetarpal’s father, in the film. His performance is deeply moving, with the final trailer’s most touching moment coming from his line: “Woh hamesha ikkis ka hi rahega (He will always remain 21).”

Dharmendra’s son and actor Sunny Deol also shared the final trailer of Ikkis. He penned an emotional caption that read, “Love you papa,” along with several red heart emojis.

While Ikkis was earlier set to release on December 25, it was postponed, and will now hit the theatres on January 1, 2026.