Agastya Nanda Worked Hard to Play Martyred Soldier

Director Sriram Raghavan is impressed by the actor’s potrayal as Arun Khetarpal in his Ikkis

xSoldier 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