Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan says he was baffled by the response to his war drama Ikkis. Speaking on the sidelines of an event organised by the Screenwriters Association (SWA), he discussed his film and hoped more people would watch it following its OTT debut.
Sriram Raghavan on audience’s response to Ikkis
“We were quite baffled, actually, by the response after the film (Ikkis) came out. I hope people will watch the film at the click of the button (on OTT),” Sriram said as quoted by news agency PTI. Drawing inspiration from classic war cinema such as Ballad of a Soldier, Flags of our Fathers, Cranes are Flying, Battle of the Bulge, he said he sought to create a film that prioritises human emotions.
Sriram talks about Ikkis plot
“If I were completely against the ideology of Ikkis, I would not have made it. But for me, if it was just the story of the boy, it would not have (been) enough, I wouldn’t know how to give it an arc but the other story is what made it whole for me. So, when I first heard the story, it was the two stories in one and that is the complete thing that has got appealed to me. I don’t know how it would have been otherwise,” the director added.
About Ikkis
Released on January 1, Ikkis is a biographical drama based on the life of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, featuring Agastya Nanda as the war hero. Arun was martyred at the age of 21 during the Battle of Basantar in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The film also stars Dharmendra, Jaideep Ahlawat and others.
The film features two timelines — one that focuses on Arun as a young recruit and the other about his elderly father, who travels to Pakistan years later to find out about the day his son fought and lost his life. The film received positive reviews praising its peace-oriented narrative, but did not draw audiences to theatres in large numbers. Ikkis, which recently landed on the streaming service Prime Video, was Sriram’s first war drama.
About Sriram’s films
Sriram is known as the master of thrillers in Bollywood, having directed films such as Johnny Gaddar, Ek Haseena Thi, Andhadhun, and Merry Christmas.
