Amid the OTT release of Ikkis (2026), director Sriram Raghavan has reacted to the theatrical reaction to his war-drama. He admitted that the response following the film’s release caught the team off guard and claimed that those criticising hadn’t even seen the film.
Raghavan, at a session hosted by the Screenwriters Association (SWA), emphasised creative expression and said, “It becomes a bit crazy if I start censoring myself out of fear, when I feel I want to say something, but I’m scared to. If that happens, I have to find a way to do it. As filmmakers, that’s what we must do. Even in this case, I feel many of those who are objecting probably haven’t seen the film. Now that it’s out, I hope they watch it—then I will respond.”
The Ikkis director additionally mentioned that when Ikkis was shown to members of the armed forces, the response was overwhelmingly positive. “We were quite baffled, actually, by the response after the film came out. Our first screening was for an audience of 800 plus people in Delhi, which was entirely army, top brass, veterans and young cadets. It was a solid screening, which was also our main, first big screening with outsiders,” the 62-year-old added.
While reflecting on the anticipated differing reactions during production, Raghavan highlighted that he had raised a similar concern with producer Dinesh Vijan years earlier. He added, “He (Dinesh Vijan) said, ‘No—why are you saying that?’ I told him I didn’t feel it either. But he broke it down very simply: ‘The boy goes and destroys their tanks, the father goes and forgives. So what?'”
Inspired by the life of Arun Khetarpal, the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, Ikkis depicts the Battle of Basantar during the 1971 India–Pakistan War. The film, featuring Agastya Nanda, Jaideep Ahlawat and Simran Bhatia is also the last film of late actor Dharmendra.
Ikkis theatrically released on January 1, 2026. The film is available for streaming on Prime Video.
