As the nation continues to get back on track in the wake of Operation Sindoor, India’s counter-terror strike, Indian auteur Sriram Raghavan is returning to the silver screen with a war film.
Sriram Raghavan is known for cult-classics like ‘Ek Hasina Thi’, ‘Johnny Gaddaar’ and ‘Andhadhun’.
The upcoming film, titled ‘Ikkis’ stars veteran actor Dharmendra, ‘Paatal Lok’ star Jaideep Ahlawat, and Agastya Nanda, and also marks a shift in tone on Raghavan’s part as he is mostly known for thrillers and noirs.
On Saturday, the makers of the film released its first look notifying the viewers of the film’s release date. The coming-of-age film is based on Indian war hero Arun Khetarpal, and will arrive in theatres on October 2, 2025.
However, the film wrongly credits Arun as the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra. While, Arun was posthumously conferred the honour at the age of 21, (‘Ikkis’ in Hindi translates to 21), it is Yogendra Singh Yadav from the Kargil war of 1999, who is youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra at the age of 19.
‘Ikkis’ is set against the backdrop of the Battle of Basantar which was a crucial part of the 1971 war between India and Pakistan.
Interestingly, both Operation Sindoor and Battle of Basantar have a river connection.
While the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty served as the prologue to Operation Sindoor, the Battle of Basantar was fought in Shakargarh over the river Basantar which flows into the Ravi River.
The battle on Shakargarh through which the Basantar river runs, was opened by Pakistan to divert and engage the advancing Indian forces in East Pakistan (current day Bangladesh) as the latter were gaining an upper hand during Bangladesh’s fight for liberation.
The area of Shakargarh wasn’t easily defensible, in some accounts it has often been cited as a “defender’s nightmare”. The Indian forces continued their ground thrust, and the 47 Infantry Brigade was about to set-up a bridgehead across Basantar river.
The place was extensively mined, which prevented the deployment of the tanks of the Indian forces. The engineers, who were clearing the mines, were halfway through their tasks when Indian troops at the bridge-head reported alarming enemy armour activity. The Indian forces asked for immediate armour support, and decided to push through the mine-field.
The armoured tank-to-tank engagement was the prime facet of the Battle of Basantar. While Pakistan deployed the state-of-the-art US-made 50 ton Patton tanks, Indian forces responded with the British made FV4007 Centurion tanks. Indian forces jumped right into the eye of the storm.
A massive offensive ensued with Khetarpal emerging as the sole incharge of the situation. The pressure was tremendous but he didn’t budge, he continued his attack on the enemy strongholds. He desperately attacked the incoming Pakistani troops and tanks, and knocked out a Pakistani tank in the process.
On the other side, Pakistani forces too were not easy to walk over, they regrouped and launched a counter-attack.
Arun Khetarpal fought valiantly with his two remaining tanks and destroyed 10 Pakistani tanks before he was martyred in action.
Following the battle, the Indian forces pushed through the enemy posts, and came threateningly close to the Pakistan Army base at Sialkot.
The Pakistan Army, which was heavily outnumbered by the advancing Indian Army at this point, called for air support from the Pakistan Air Force. However, the Indian side was armed to the teeth with aerial support from the Indian Air Force cutting through the Pakistani airspace. The Pakistani forces’ operations were frozen and paralysed in the battlefield. Pakistan offered unconditional surrender which led to ceasefire.
The outcome of the 1971 Indo-Pak war manifested itself into the carving out of Bangladesh by India preceded by the surrender of 93,000 Pakistani soldiers.
Meanwhile, ‘Ikkis’, produced by Maddock Films, is set to release on October 2, 2025.
