Not Agastya Nanda but Varun Dhawan was the first choice for 'Ikkis'; Sriram Raghavan explains why the change
ETimes January 01, 2026 06:39 PM
As the world enters the new year , a new actor Agastya Nanda has made his big screen debut as Sriram Raghavan ’s Ikkis. The film is based on the life of Arun Khetarpal , the youngest recipient of Param Vir Chakra . But not many would be aware that it was Agastya but Varun Dhawan who was the first choice for the film.Raghavan and Varun had first teamed up together for Badlapur which a success at the box office.
Explaining the decision to replace Varun with Agastya , Raghavan in an interview with The Hindu stated that age was the biggest factor in the decision. He said, “That age when Jeetendra could dance around trees in his 40s is over”. He also added “Varun was keen, and we had started working on it. But by the time the preliminary scripting was done, COVID happened, and plans changed. In certain scenes, Arun is just 19. The story demanded a fresh face”.
Raghavan also stated that he needed an actor that was willing to give two-three years to the project as it was the story of a boy becoming a man.
Co-incidentally Agastya was just 21 when he was signed for the film which made him the natural fit for the role.
The film is also special as it marks Dharmendra’s final big screen appearance, it also features Jaideep Ahlawat , Sikandar Kher, Vivaab Shah and Deepak Dobriyal in pivotal roles.
Agastya had made his acting debut with Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies which premiered on Netflix, the film also featured Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Vedang Raina, Mihir Ahuja, Aditi ‘Dot’ Saigal and Yuvraj Menda. The film didn’t get a positive response from fans or critics. While Ikkis has received positive word from critics and has already crossed Rs 1 crore mark at the box office despite facing Dhurandar’s craze.
