A Low Energy War Drama | Ikkis Review 2026

What is the Ikkis Plot?

Brigadier Madan Lal Khetarpal or M.L. Khetarpal (Dharmendra), travels to Lahore, Pakistan, for two important reasons. One, to meet his old friends from school and college during his life in Sargodha, Pakistan, before partition, and two, to know why his 21-year-old son, 2nd Lt. Arun Khetarpal (Agastya Nanda), refused the order to abandon his tank and save himself during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

During this visit, Brigadier M. L. Khetarpal is hosted by Brigadier Jaan Mohammad Nisaar (Jaideep Ahlawat), the Pakistani commander whose actions in the 1971 war led to Arun’s martyrdom. Over the three days M.L. Khetarpal spends in Lahore, he remembers his son Arun and also understands his life in the military and actions on the battlefield.

Way Too Ordinary

As expected, Ikkis receives ordinary treatment in its approach, even if not very loud. The film starts off on a very light note with drama and bits of romance in the story of the Khetarpal father and son. Staying true to its approach, the film does not resort to heavy shouting or aggression, yet neither does it drown you in a tide of emotions in the first half. 

Additionally, what the film also lacks is goosebumps through dialogues that invoke a sense of patriotism and energy in the audience. Had these emotions and the dialogues been more effective, it would have been remembered as a greater biopic than what it currently is. 

The Predictability Doesn’t Hit

As Ikkis transcends to the second half, it goes on to become very predictable. The predictability is expected in a story we have witnessed several times in Bollywood, but the effort to hit the right chords is missing from the writing team and the director, Sriram Raghavan. As Arun Khetarpal’s war story slowly reaches its conclusion, we witness several energetic, aggressive war scenes that were obviously mandatory for this film, enhanced by strong cinematography.

The Unconvincing Back and Forth Through Timelines 

Bits of unlikeliness in Ikkis arise due to the inconsistent switch between the past and the present timelines in the film’s storytelling. While Dharmendra talks to someone in the present and nostalgically remembers his son in the movie, it is a nice approach, but what makes it poor are the limitless switches. Alongside, these switches in this weak screenplay are accompanied by a positive message around India-Pakistan relations and anti-war sentiments.

The Great and Poor Performances

As for the cast of Ikkis, Agastya Nanda, as the leading soldier of the film, is decent in a few parts but plain bad in most. Such a character deserves a better performer, and Agastya probably needs a few more years to hone himself and to become an actor deserving of such a character.

As for the debutant Simar Bhatia, she disappoints as the romantic interest of Agastya Nanda. While a pairing of youngsters is a good step, neither the acting nor the writing does justice to the romantic bits of the film.

Dharmendra does total justice to his pivotal character in the movie throughout the screen time. He aces the dramatic portions and, at the same time, is adorable to watch on the big screen. What enhances his performance in the psychology of the audience is Ikkis being the final performance of the veteran on-screen.

Jaideep Ahlawat, as expected, is great in his role as the Pakistani brigadier. Even though he does not look young, his performance and dialogue delivery nail the role very well.

Among the supporting cast as well as the special appearances, Rahul Dev, Sikandar Kher, Vivaan Shah, Ekavali Khanna, Avani Rai, Deepak Dobriyal, and Asrani all make short but pivotal appearances and perform very well.

Another Disappointment of Ikkis – The Songs

Ikkis consists of five songs, and each of them contributes greatly to making the film a boring theatrical watch. The three romantic tracks, Sitaare, Tera Aashiq, and Sajda, feel very unnecessary. Ban Ke Dikha Ikkis tries to be an energetic anthem but fails. A similar case is with Biraadar Yamma Yamma, a fun song that keeps all the fun to itself rather than sharing it with the audience. Out of the entire aspect of Ikkis’ music, only the BGM works well throughout the runtime, as watched in the film on Ikkis release date.

Final Thoughts

As for the overall Ikkis review, it is a war drama that had the potential to be unique among the many loud and over-jingoistic and patriotic war dramas in the current age of Bollywood. However, a weak-to-average job in nearly every department has ruined the chance of Ikkis becoming a memorable war drama and has instead made it a forgettable one.

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