Mumbai: Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson Agastya Nanda will soon be seen playing late Army officer Arun Khetarpal in ‘Ikkis’.
During a recent media interaction, Agastya shared that he drew inspiration for the role from grandfather Amitabh’s ‘Major Saab’ and uncle Abhishek Bachchan’s ‘Refugee’.
“We took a lot of inspiration and have seen a lot of lovely films like ‘Refugee’, ‘Major Saab’ and ‘Border’, and these were classic Indian films. I would watch them for my own study,” Agastya said.
“However, this is a different subject altogether; it has a different kind of segment of the army. I’m glad I got an opportunity to play a soldier,” he added.
In the 1998 film ‘Major Saab’, Big B played the role of Major Jasbir Singh Rana, whereas in ‘Refugee’, Abhishek featured as a mysterious man who guides people across the Rann of Kutch border.
Revealing a cherished family rule in the Bachchan household, Agastya said, “We’ve a rule at home that we don’t discuss movies, so no one ever discusses what films we are doing, what scenes we’ve today, what are we going to do next. That’s a dining table rule. So, of course, they know about the film, and they’re excited. But as a family, they are like, ‘Figure it out’, kind of guidance.”
Sharing that ‘Ikkis’ is a crucial moment in his career, the actor said, “I’m extremely grateful that Dinu sir supported me at a time when my first film didn’t really work, I didn’t really get the best reviews, and to still have faith from him and Sriram sir was great. But to me, this is my last chance to prove myself, I’ve treated it like that.”
“This film for me is not just a film, it’s very personal. I’ve only learnt that from Sriram sir, he doesn’t do anything that isn’t organic to him, he’s so pure about his intention, that’s so inspiring. I’ll take it to every film after this. I’ve had such a rich experience. It’s very tough for me to just grab and do anything,” he said.
Agastya, who made his debut with ‘The Archies’ in 2023, reflected on his journey and said he feels like a different person.
“I would call this my foundation to take into every film after this, whether it’s on the acting side, or even the way Dinu sir has guided me. Showing a lot of faith in a young boy is not very common but they did.”
Expressing his eagerness to share the film with the world, Agastya said, “It’s been a really long and fun journey. We’ve made this film with a lot of love. We’re happy with what we’ve made. Now, hopefully that translates onscreen. No one has done this; it wasn’t an easy film to do.”
Talking about challenges faced during the shooting of ‘Ikkis’, Agastya revealed, “There were many times when we were shooting, we felt anything could happen. We had to create these tanks and they’re not very safe structures to work on. Some of the action sequences in the second half are quite daring.”
“There was that fear that the thing could just fall, when you’re taking a turn sometimes and you’re about 20-30 feet above the ground, you feel scared sometimes but we had rehearsed, we practised.”
‘Ikkis’ also features late Bollywood legend Dharmendra, and Jaideep Ahlawat.
Speaking of working with Dharmendra, Agastya admitted being “nervous” when he first met the veteran.
“The story is such that we don’t really have physically together, but there are a lot of interconnected moments. A day’s work. There’s one particular scene in the film which we had, and I was very nervous; I didn’t know how to behave, what to say,” Agastya said.
“He’s so warm and welcoming, you don’t feel like he’s a senior; he’ll talk to you like a friend. Like, usually people sit on set and then they go back and come only when required, but he was always there,” Agastya added.
“Watching the film with that lens now makes you feel kind of unfortunate that he couldn’t see the performance he’s given, it’s so endearing,” Agastya observed.
Directed by Sriram Raghavan and produced under Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films ‘Ikkis’ is slated to be released on January 1, 2026.
