After his role in the Netflix film The Archies, Agastya Nanda made his big-screen debut with Sriram Raghavan's war drama Ikkis, which hit theatres on New Year's Day. The film has been backed by strong pre-release buzz and features Dharmendra in his final screen appearance. It has opened to a decent start at the box office. According to Sacnilk data, on its opening day, Ikkis earned a net collection of 7 crore from theatres in India.
Ikkis traces the life of Param Vir Chakra awardee Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who was martyred at 21 during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The title, which means 21, signifies Khetarpal’s age when he was killed in action during the 1971 India–Pakistan war. The film also stars Jaideep Ahlawat, Simar Bhatia, Sikander Kher, Shree Bishnoi and Ekavali Khanna.
The opening is seen as a solid start for a debut film, with attention also on Agastya Nanda's performance and Dharmendra's final screen appearance. The Hindi war drama registered an overall 31.94 per cent theatre occupancy across India on Day 1. While it fared better than Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri, the film faces stiff competition from the box office dominance of Dhurandhar.
The makers of Ikkis originally planned for a December 25, 2025, release but postponed it to avoid clashing with the strong box office run of Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar, which continued to hold steady into its fourth week.
The film's subject and performances have helped sustain interest, with Dharmendra's screen legacy adding to the response.
