Sriram Raghavan was reminded of Amitabh Bachchan from Saat Hindustani and Anand when he met Agastya Nanda for the first time for Ikkis: “He’s a guy who is refreshingly normal”

Agastya Nanda, son of Shweta Bachchan Nanda and Nikhil Nanda and grandson of Amitabh Bachchan, made his acting debut in Zoya Akhtar’s musical The Archies. He stepped into the limelight with his debut as Archie Andrews alongside several newcomers. Now, he is prepping for Sriram Raghavan’s next Ikkis, based on the life of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal PVC. Raghavan, whose Merry Christmas, released in theatres on December 12, recently said that when he met Agastya for the first time, he was reminded of Amitabh Bachchan from the films Saat Hindustani and Anand.

 

Sriram Raghavan was reminded of Amitabh Bachchan from Saat Hindustani and Anand when he met Agastya Nanda for the first time for Ikkis: “He’s a guy who is refreshingly normal”

 

In an interview with Film Companion, Sriram Raghavan said, “When I first met him, he reminded me of Amitabh (Bachchan) in Saat Hindustani and Anand. He’s got a certain charm and he looks the part also and I am looking forward to working with him. He’s a guy who is refreshingly normal and there are no bells and whistles. I have seen his The Archies and I loved the film, I loved his character and many other characters in the film. So I know he knows the process of the film and now I am looking at diving with him into more subjects.”

 

Reacting to Raghavan, Agastya recently said, “It was a really crazy experience. I remember when… Before I started The Archies, I went around introducing myself to a lot of people because I don’t have social media; people don’t know what I look like really. So, I remember going to Dino (filmmaker and producer Dinesh Vijan) sir’s office and asked him if he had any work and he said that he’ll keep in touch. I was not expecting anything.”

 

“Two days later I got a call from him and he asked me to come to his office. I was very excited and asked him what it is for and he said, ‘I can’t tell you’, I asked who is it with. And he said, ‘I can’t tell you’. When I arrived, I was sitting at the office really nervous because it was just me fresh into this industry. I was sitting alone in the conference hall… 20-30 minutes pass and then Sriram Raghavan walked in. Then I figured out what the story was and it was with him,” he said.

 

Agastya Nanda added, “Army men’s lifestyle, their discipline, their integrity. I am a fan because I have gone to boarding school, so I have had like five percent of what that life is like but going to the regiment and the respect I have for my country and the army now is on another level. So the passion and the drive to do justice to them is through the roof. I really don’t want to let them down, because it is beautiful what they do for us and so selfless.”

 

Earlier reports revealed Agastya Nanda began workshops towards the end of December 2023 and will continue until January 2024 first half. After this, he will kick off the shoot for the Arun Khetarpal biopic this month.

 

Varun Dhawan was earlier part of the project. However, there was a casting change after which Agastya Nanda was roped in. A source informed Bollywood Hungama in December 2022, “The age factor. The Param Vir Chakra-winning soldier Arun Khetarpal on whom the film is based died defending our country at 21. Varun is now 35. So chronologically they don’t match. When Ikkis was announced three years ago, Sriram thought he would pull it off with Varun. But now everyone felt the actor playing Arun Khetarpal must be younger. Agastya is just the right age to play Arun Khetarpal.”

 

For unversed, Arun Khetarpal was a Second Lieutenant in the Indian Army who posthumously received the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military award, for his exemplary courage and sacrifice during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. A memorial named “Arun's Chowk” was built at the spot where he fought valiantly, and it stands as a tribute to his bravery.

 

ALSO READ: Agastya Nanda didn’t know how to deal with negative reactions towards The Archies: “It’s my first try and I am going to work hard and get back up”

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