Mumbai: The lead cast and the director of ‘Ikkis’ paid a heartfelt tribute to Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, at an event in Mumbai on Thursday.
‘Ikkis’ brings the true untold story of India’s youngest Param Vir Chakra awardee – Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who was just 21 at the time of the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war.
Agastya Nanda is set to play the role of Lt Arun Khetarpal in the film. He will be joined by Jaideep Ahlawat and Simar Bhatia in the prominent roles. It is directed by Sriram Raghavan.
Gut Feeling- #Ikkis can surprise at the box office this Christmas..
From the battlefield to Mumbai – Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal’s legendary tank Famagusta rises once more.
A moment of immense pride as Famagusta, an integral part of Arun Khetarpal’s valiant story, is… pic.twitter.com/NPhMcuDA9j
— Sumit Kadel (@SumitkadeI) December 4, 2025
To celebrate the bravery of Lt. Arun Khetarpal, the makers organised a tribute event for the courageous hero, attended by the Indian Army and the film’s lead cast.
In the presence of Lt. Gen. D.S. Kushwah and other Indian Army officers, the makers of ‘Ikkis’ posed for a photo with a photo of Arun Khetarpal.
Agastya Nanda also got emotional as he recalled his journey in the movie, where he portrayed the role of Arun Khetarpal. While addressing the attendees, Nanda called Arun Khetarpal a “brave and passionate” soldier of India.
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“Main thing that stood out for me about this story is about how young Arun Khetarpal is. I would like to address the young kids sitting over there who’ve come from school. I hope that when you watch this film, you’ll be able to learn something from Arun Khetarpal. He was a very brave, passionate soldier,” said Agastya Nanda.
He continued, “I think that if we take anything away from this film, it’s that you’re never too young to change the world. So, this is mainly for the younger people out here and my immense pride and gratitude to every soldier, every person a part of the Indian Army.”
The event concluded with the unveiling of a huge army tank, in remembrance of Arun Khetarpal’s contribution in the 1971 war.
‘Ikkis,’ set to release on December 25. The movie will also mark the late, legendary actor Dharmendra’s final appearance on the big screen. The actor passed away on November 24 at his residence in Mumbai.
