Arun Khetarpal's Brother Hugs Agastya Nanda After Watching Ikkis: 'You Made Me Cry'

Agastya Nanda is currently gearing up for the release of his film, Ikkis. Helmed by the National Award-winning filmmaker Sriram Raghavan, Ikkis shares the inspiring story of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal – India’s youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra. Recently, a special screening of the movie was held in Mumbai, which was also attended by Khetarpal’s younger brother Mukesh Khetarpal. While watching the film, Khetarpal’s brother got teary-eyed and hugged Agastya.

In a video that PVR Cinemas shared recently, Mukesh Khetrapal was heard saying, “My grouse is you made me cry. You made me relive certain things that were in my mind, and moment by moment, when I saw it on the screen, I got so emotional, I couldn’t stop crying. Now that I’ve

seen the movie, the movie is 10 times or maybe 20 times or 100 times of what we see in the trailer. Oh, fantastic.”

He then turned to Agastya and added, “Whatever else you are, you will be Arun for life. There is no taking that away from you. Well done.”

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For the unversed, Arun Khetarpal took on the enemy head-on during the Battle of Basantar, destroying 10 Pakistani tanks before losing his life.

Besides Agastya Nanda, Ikkis also stars Simar Bhatia, Dharmendra, Jaideep Ahlawat, Sikandar Kher, and Deepak Dobriyal in significant roles. The film will hit theatres on January 1, 2026.

Recently, casting director Mukesh Chhabra also reviewed Ikkis and wrote on his X handle, “Just watched Ikkis — a film made purely from the heart. Gentle, honest storytelling that stays with you long after it ends. Dharmendra sir… what grace, what depth. If this is your last film, it truly breaks the heart 💔. You’ve left us with something deeply emotional and important. You will be missed, sir. 🙏And Jaideep Ahlawat — hats off. I genuinely didn’t expect this, and I’m glad to be surprised. ❤️🧿.”

“A warm welcome to Agastya Nanda and Simar Bhatia — both were beautiful on screen. Endearing eyes, lovely chemistry. Agastya’s innocence and sincerity truly shine. Special mention to Vivan Shah and Sikandar Kher — outstanding work. And above all — Sriram Raghavan. The man. The master. Once again, sir… once again. 🙏🎬 A heartfelt film, told with honesty. Cinema that feels personal. ❤️,” he added.