Vicky Kaushal Gives Emotional Tribute To Late Arun Khetarpal Ahead Of Agastya Nanda’s Ikkis Release

Agastya Nanda’s upcoming film Ikkis, based on the biography of Param Vir Chakra recipient Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, is set to hit theatres on January 1, 2026. Ahead of the film’s release, Vicky Kaushal has taken to his social media to give an emotional tribute to the late Arun Khetarpal.

In the video that Vicky shared on his social media, the actor is seen saying, “Ikkis, is umar mein lagta hai zindagi to bas abhi shuru hui hai. College, dost, yaar, parivar, shayad aap bhi vahi kar rahe ho, magar real-life heroes ikkis ki umar mein hum sabse kaafi alag hote hain, absolute legend. Army mein ikkis saal ke jawan roz ye zindagi jeete hain jo hum soch bhi nahi sakte. (At the age of twenty-one, life feels like it’s just beginning, college,

friends, family, perhaps you are experiencing the same. But real-life heroes at twenty-one are very different from the rest of us, absolute legends. In the army, twenty-one-year-old soldiers live a life we can hardly imagine.)”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Maddock Films (@maddockfilms) 

He further continued, and as veteran late actor Dharmendra’s picture appeared on screen, Vicky said, “Vaqt bhi shatir cheez hai jo kisi ke liye nahi rukta. (Time is a tricky thing that waits for no one.)”

He further concluded, saying, “Jab sher maidan mein utarta hai toh kanoon nahi, itihaas badalta hai. Ikkis ki umar mein lagta hai life to abhi shuru hui hai, magar real-life heroes, they do not necessarily agree. Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, vo ikkis ka, that ikkis ka rahega. (When a lion steps onto the battlefield, it’s not the law but history that changes. At twenty-one, life feels like it’s just beginning, but real-life heroes do not necessarily agree. Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, he was twenty-one, and he will always be remembered as twenty-one.)”

Ikkis’ New Release Date

The highly awaited war drama Ikkis was originally intended for a Christmas release but was moved just days before to January 1, 2026. In Ikkis, Agastya plays Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, while Simar Bhatia plays Kiran. This film commemorates the late actor Dharmendra’s posthumous film appearance, in which he plays Brigadier ML Khetarpal (Retd.), Arun Khetarpal’s father. The cast also features Jaideep Ahlawat, Shree Bishnoi, Suhasini Mulay, Sikander Kher, Rahul Dev, Vivaan Shah, and others.