Agastya Nanda, the grandson of megastar Amitabh Bachchan, stepped into Bollywood last month with his debut film, The Archies. The star kid managed to take center stage with his portrayal as Archie Andrews. Furthermore, the budding star will now be headlining Sriram Raghavan’s Ikkis, co-starring Dharmendra and Jaideep Ahlawat. The biopic is based on the life of the youngest recipient of Param Vir Chakra, Arun Khetarpal.
While Agastya is still sinking in the response to his debut film, in a recent interview, he also spoke about his big and exciting collaboration with Sriram Raghavan where he will be seen playing the role of the much-celebrated war hero.
Agastya Nanda reflects on his preparation for Sriram Raghavan’s Ikkis
In a recent interview with Film Companion, Agastya Nanda who went to Pune for the drilling sessions opened up about his preparations for the role. Calling himself a fan of an ‘army’s lifestyle, the discipline, the integrity’, he stated that since he has been to a boarding school, so he has experienced ‘maybe 5% of what that army life is like’.
However, Agastya believes after going to the regiment, his respect for the country and the army is on another level. He stated, “The passion and the drive to do justice to them are to the roof. I really don’t want to let them down because it’s beautiful what they do for us, and it is so selfless. It is the biggest responsibility.”
He went on to recall an army officer warning him to not spoil the subject. “While I was in the regiment, an officer came up to me and said, listen! (in a way harsher language) don’t mess it up. He is our hero! So don’t mess it up, and I was like oh god I called Mom and said this is a bit more intense than I expected, but it was a good experience,” he shared with a laugh.
Agastya Nanda expresses excitement about working with Dharmendra and Jaideep Ahlawat
Relatively fresh in the industry, Agastya was further queried about his headspace as he gears up for it. In response to this, the star-kid remarked being happy and excited to begin it, expressing his gratitude towards the experience and learning he had from his first film. Nonetheless, he also admitted being nervous about working with acting maestros like Dharmendra and Jaideep Ahlawat.
The Archies actor said, “They are such seniors especially when you’re opposite Dharam ji, and you’re interacting with him, it is such a surreal moment, but I hope to learn a lot. They are such great actors and great people. They welcomed me so warmly, I remember I went for Jaideep sir’s look test, and he was so warm, and he was just like looking forward to it. So I think there is already a warm vibe on set. I’ll definitely go on set and watch there everything.”
About Ikkis
Ikkis which is bankrolled by Dinesh Vijan and helmed by Sriram Raghavan will feature Dharmendra playing the part of Arun Khetarpal’s father, M L Khetarpal with Agastya as the leading man. It was last month that Pinkvilla exclusively informed you that Agastya will start shooting for the film in January 2024.
“December and the first half of January will be spent by Agastya reading the script and also doing some workshops to rehearse for the schedule ahead. Sriram wanted a young actor to play the part of Arun Khetarpal and feels that Agastya fits the role like a hand in a glove. After months of prep, Sriram and Agastya are now all set to commence the journey of bringing the heroic tale to the big screen,” a source close to the development shared with us.
