Ikkis X Review: What Netizens Are Saying About Dharmendra's Last And Agastya Nanda's Debut Film

Hyderabad: Sriram Raghavan's directorial Ikkis finally hit theatres on Thursday. Starring Dharmendra, Jaideep Ahlawat, and Agastya Nanda, Ikkis chooses to tell the humane side of a war story. It is based on the life of Param Vir Chakra awardee Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, played by Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan's grandson Agastya in his big-screen debut role after his streaming debut with The Archies in 2023.

The film looks at courage, loss, memory, and pride through two timelines. One takes us to the 1971 Indo-Pak war, while the other is set decades later, focusing on the emotional aftermath of war.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh called Ikkis "heartwarming" and rated it 3.5 stars. He described it as "a heartfelt true story told with honesty" and said the film is emotional and deeply moving. According to him, the second half packs a strong emotional punch and builds up beautifully to a gripping final battle sequence. He also mentioned that the last half-hour of the film is its strongest portion, leading to a deeply emotional finale.

Taran called Dharmendra "simply brilliant" in what appears to be his final film appearance. He said the veteran actor anchors the film with restrained emotion and strong screen presence. Jaideep Ahlawat was described as "outstanding" and among the finest actors of our times, while Agastya was praised for his confident and controlled performance, in his X review.

Ikkis earned high praised by several filmgoers who stated that the film focused on the emotional journey of a soldier rather than just showing action sequences in a battle. A detailed review stated that while the majority of war films display their respective events from the enemy's perspective, Ikkis shows the personal and emotional struggles faced by the soldiers.

For the unversed, the film is structured into three layers: the war front of Agastya Nanda, the future timeline of Dharmendra and Jaideep Ahlawat's characters, with glimpses of Agastya's romance and training occurring in between. Dharmendra's performance has been one of the most talked-about aspects of Ikkis. Viewers have commented on how deeply moving his character was to watch, as he beautifully portrayed a retired army man who is proud of his son serving in the military. Dharmendra's interactions with Jaideep Ahlawat and Deepak Dobriyal were quite emotional for many viewers and left many people teary-eyed.

Agastya Nanda's performance was also appreciated. Netizens praised his sincerity on screen with a few also stating that they see a resemblance to actor Abhishek Bachchan. Many believe he will be a talent to watch out for in the future.

However, not all reactions were positive. Some said the non-linear narrative weakened the impact of key emotional moments. Viewers also wished the romantic track featuring Simar Bhatia was better written. One X review rated the film three stars, calling it emotional but average, and felt the first half lacked clarity. Initially

The film bankrolled by Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films was set to clash with Kartik Aaryan’s Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri on December 25 but was pushed to January 1, 2026.

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