Ikkis

He was twenty-one and will remain so.

With a tagline like that, you already know the premise. The main character, Arun Khetarpal, dies at twenty-one. He received the Param Vir Chakra. Till today, he remains the youngest to receive it. I was sceptical about watching a war movie, but my mother wanted to watch it. She wanted to see Dharmendra one last time on screen.

Dharmendra plays the father of Arun, Brigadier Madan Lal Khetarpal. The film shows two parallel stories, one of Arun in college, in love and war, and another is of his father dealing with the grief of losing a young son in the India-Pakistan War during 1971. M .L Khetrapal goes for a college reunion in Lahore in 2001. He was hosted by Brigadier Naseer[played by Jaideep Ahlawat] were he learns the truth of his son’s demise.

Agastya Nanda, in his second outing after Archie’s, shows remarkable improvement. He rises up to the role, plays it with required flair and gravitas. One can feel the earnest energy and the desire to do something for his country in his eyes. Life pulsates through him until one day, when he stops being an ordinary person and becomes a hero.

Watching it, I wondered about what price a soldier and his/her family pay? What is the cost that the nation extracts from these young ones, because they are the ones fighting on the ground, not the strategists, nor us? Do the family ever recover from the loss?

When the tank rolls in Pakistan, one of the soldiers responds that it looks the same. I remembered the abandoned tanks at Longewale. The same harsh terrain, the same trees and topography . Unfortunately, the world only sees the difference. Wars happen, and it continues to happen.

In one scene, we see the soldiers sighing with exhaustion when news of the ceasefire reaches them. One over-enthusiastic reporter asks - How does it feel? They just shrug and move on. It is how these days people thrust the mikes on the victims of violence. It is a sharp commentary on our times.

Then there is Simar Bhatia essaying the role of Arun’s girlfriend. She gifted him Farewell to Arms by Hemingway, and the writer in me was pleased. She breaks the relationship because love is not a burden to carry. Later on, we see Vivaan Shah playing the tank commander asking Arun to pick the pen and say sorry. Bravery sometimes can begin with a word, sorry. Arun never gets a chance to say so.

Dharmendra, in his last movie, is an inspired choice. When he recites,’ Aaj mainu phir jawa ,‘ our eyes get moist, when he asks,’ Kaun Dushman?’ you feel for the father of Arun. The guilt in Jaideep’s eyes as he finally let his secret out to him is clearly seen in the lines of his face. Brigadier Naseer has lived with a regret that has gnawed his soul.

Ikkis is a brave movie full of pathos, nuance and courage. It questions the narrative that is predominant today. That violence can only be stopped by more violent action. That there is glamour in violence. In times of Dhurandar and Animal, we need movies like this. Ikkis asks us to pause, reflect and acknowledge the ultimate sacrifice of Arun Khetrapal. To honour his memory by choosing forgiveness, by choosing hope and by choosing to see that ultimately we are all losers in War.

Director S Raghavan has done a great job of showing all the complexity of war and its aftermath.

p,s- I have attempted this piece because of the great movie reviews of my writing friend Karthik Ballu.You should definitely check his page and subscribe to his newsletter for an insight into culture, movies, and more.