Sriram Raghavan's ‘Ikkis’, the final role of superstar Dharmendra and the debut of Agastya Nanda, has garnered a lot of praise from social media users who have called the movie an emotional rollercoaster.
In the movie, Agastya portrays Arun Khetarpal, the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra in history. He was killed during the 1971 India-Pakistan war at the age of 21.
The war drama movie, which also features Jaideep Ahlawat, was released in theatres on 1 January 2026.
Here's how netizens reacted:
Film critic Rahul Desai deemed Ikkis a ‘wistful hug,’ and said, “Sriram Raghavan is a national treasure. I fell in love with Ikkis, a wistful hug of a film that audits the patterns of chest-thumping war biopics.”
Viewers, who were deeply moved by watching the “Dharmendra magic” for the last time on-screen, said, “Ikkis is solid, but most importantly, it's a rare Bollywood movie that doesn't use the war biopic template for easy jingoism.”
“From the battlefield to the big screen - a story that deserves to be experienced,” added another viewer.
“Ikkis strikes a rare balance between battlefield courage and the emotional cost of war,” a user said. “The film doesn’t just celebrate heroism—it also reflects on loss, grief, and the silent strength of families left behind.”
“Ikkis doesn’t scream patriotism; it earns it. A war film that trusts silence over slogans, emotion over excess, and truth over theatrics. The impact stays long after the screen fades to black,” a viewer noted. “This film is not about glorifying war, it’s about honouring sacrifice, dignity, and the unseen courage of soldiers who never ask to be celebrated. This isn’t just a film you watch. It’s a film you carry with you.”
“Ikkis is fantastic, Patriotism & heroism at its peak! Shriram sir's direction & scripting is very good. Agastya & Dharam paji are phenomenal 👏, and Deepak Dobriyal is the SURPRISE PACKAGE,” added another viewer. “While watching movie, You'll be right there on the battlefield, blood boiling.”
Hailing the movie, a netizen said, “In Sriram Raghavan’s moving Indo-Pak war drama, patriotism roars, while courage forgives. #Dharmendra and Jaideep Ahlawat breathe life into #Ikkis through a sublime, soulful interplay of grief and guilt.”
“Ikkis is about what remains after the battlefield falls silent. It explores love, duty, grief, and the enduring human spirit—emotions that transcend borders, uniforms, and politics. By choosing empathy over glory, the film achieves something rare in modern-war cinema,” said a user.
However, film critic Het Tanna called the movie “average” and gave it 2.5 stars. He claimed that the movie failed to “emote that patriotism and feelings within the viewers”.
“The first half sets the base for the second half. And for war films, the second half is damn damn crucial... But here, the second half has its chunk of scenes, but as a whole, moves at a slow pace,” the critic said.
But, he noted that the movie is a farewell film for Dharmendra and said, “Dharam Ji, you will always have a special place in every cinephile's heart. What a charming screen presence throughout the film.”
