Karan Johar reviews Ikkis, calls Agastya Nanda ‘outstanding’, hails Dharmendra’s ‘towering screen presence’: ‘So moved by…’

Karan Johar reviews Ikkis

Starring Agastya Nanda (Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson in his theatrical debut), Dharmendra (in his last on-screen appearance), Jaideep Ahlawat and Simar Bhatia (Akshay Kumar’s nephew in his acting debut), Ikkis opened to positive reviews from audiences and critics when it was released on January 1, 2026. Despite the Dhurandhar wave at the box office, the war drama performed well. it opened the ticket counters and earned Rs 20 crore in its four-day opening weekend.

Now Karan Johar has shared his review of Sriram Raghavan film Ikkis in which he called it “a love letter to peace”. Sharing the poster of the film on Instagram on Monday, the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil director wrote, “IKKIS is a love letter to peace; an honest and earnestly told story about the utter needlessness of war. I was so touched by many moments of the film that it screams silently and Sriram Raghavan gets it right at this point.”

Admiring late superstar Dharmendra’s final performance, Karan added, “I got teary-eyed every time Dharamji was on screen. He has such an impressive screen presence and yet he can be so gentle and your heart fills with his extremely dignified portrayal of a grieving father. “@jaideepahlawat proves time and time again what an extraordinary force of nature he is, he is ROCK SOLID”, further praised Jaideep’s act. The director praised Agastya’s Stating that it was “outstanding”, he added, “Agastya Nanda was OUTSTANDING as 21-year-old Arun Khetarpal. Her endearing innocence, quiet determination and eventual climax prove her metal as an artist; “I’ve been so proud and excited to see him emerge as such a genuine and grounded actor and I can’t wait to see his journey unfold.”

The Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham director welcomed Simar to Bollywood and added: “Welcome to the movies @simarbhatia18, you are so confident and confident.” Congratulating producer Dinesh Vijan for Ikkis, KJo said, “Thank you Dinoo and @maddockfilms for supporting this bold new take on a war movie. Please go watch this gem of a true story.”

The Sriram Raghavan directorial is based on the life of Param Vir Chakra award-winning Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who was martyred at the age of 21 during the Battle of Basantar in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. While Nanda plays Arun, Dharmendra plays Brigadier ML Khetarpal, Khetarpal’s father. Ahlawat plays Pakistan Army officer Brigadier Jaan Mohammad Nisar in the film, which is based on real-life Brigadier General Khwaja Mohammed Naseer. Rahul Dev, Vivaan Shah, Sikandar Kher and Deepak Dobriyal are also seen in key roles.

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