Agastya Nanda Worked Hard to Play Martyred Soldier
Director Sriram Raghavan is impressed by the actor’s potrayal as Arun Khetarpal in his Ikkis
Soldier and Param Vir Chakra winner Arun Khetarpal was only 21 when he was martyred. Agastya Nanda, Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan’s grandson, has undergone rigorous training to look like a true soldier in Ikkis, Khetarpal’s biopic.
Director Sriram Raghavan is truly impressed by his young hero. “I didn’t want Ikkis to be just another biopic. I wanted it to be reflective of the soldier’s personality. Agastya had to do a lot of preparation, he says.
Stressing how hard Agastya had to work hard to be convincing, Raghavan adds, “He had to go on location to Leh, Ladakh, meet soldiers, meet Arun Khetarpal’s family. He needed to understand the language of a soldier — the agility and the alertness, to begin with. If I were to climb into a tank I’d probably need a chair. Agastya had to jump into the tank as if he belonged in it.”
“We also needed to source the artillery and the tanks, shares the director.
Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal was an Indian military officer who was killed in action in the Battle of Basantar at Shakargarh during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. He was posthumously awarded India's highest military decoration, the Param Vir Chakra, for his valour.
