Fact Check: Agastya Nanda's Ikkis faces trouble for wrongly crediting Arun Khetarpal as the youngest Param Vir Chakra recipient | Details inside

Ikkis is one of the most anticipated films of 2025. The film has been garnering a lot of attention ever since it was announced, and one of the major attractions is also that the film stars Agastya Nanda, the grandson of Amitabh Bachchan. Fans are awaiting to see his acting in the upcoming war film. The film will hit theaters on October 2, but ahead of it, it faced troubles for wrongly crediting Arun Khetarpal as the youngest Param Vir Chakra recipient.

Ikkis faces trouble

The makers of Ikkis released the announcement video along with the release date. As per the video, Ikkis is based on Indian war hero Arun Khetarpal, and will arrive in theatres on October 2, 2025 coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti. 

However, the film wrongly credits Arun as the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra. Notably, while Arun was posthumously conferred the honour at the age of 21 (Ikkis in Hindi translates to 21), it is Yogendra Singh Yadav from the Kargil war of 1999, who is the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra at the age of 19. Due to this, the film landed in trouble. 

Meanwhile, sharing the announcement teaser, the caption read, "Dinesh Vijan & Maddock Films Present #Ikkis- A True Story of a Brave Soldier and Son, Arun Khetarpal, India’s Youngest Param Vir Chakra Hero. Releasing in cinemas worldwide on 2nd Oct 2025."

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About Ikkis

Produced by Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films, the Sriram Raghavan directorial is set against the backdrop of the Battle of Basantar. It was a significant part of the 1971 war between India and Pakistan. The Battle of Basantar was fought in Shakargarh over the river Basantar, which flows into the Ravi River. The film holds a special significance after Operation Sindoor.

The film stars Agastya Nanda, Dharmendra, and Jaideep Ahlawat. Meanwhile, in an earlier interview with the Indian Express, the director opened up about Ikkis. He said, “It is a war film, and it is a drama. It was a break from the kind of movies I was doing, and I wanted that, so that the next time I am doing a thriller, I feel fresh. That there is no baggage."

In an earlier interview with PTI, Sriram Raghavan said that Ikkis will have multiple elements of a martyred hero’s life, and it is not going to be the Amar Chitra Katha version of that story. "It is not like this was his childhood and all that. It is about this young officer, who was martyred two months after his 21st birthday. It’s during this time when a boy becomes a man,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ikkis will be released in cinemas on October 2, 2025.