Who was Arun Khetarpal? ‘Ikkis’ is based on real-life story of ‘Battle of Basantar’ hero
Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal was the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra. The biographical drama by Sriram Raghavan with Agastya Nanda in the lead is also late Bollywood star Dharmendra’s last movie
Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal was the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra. The biographical drama by Sriram Raghavan with Agastya Nanda in the lead is also late Bollywood star Dharmendra’s last movie
Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal was the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra. The biographical drama by Sriram Raghavan with Agastya Nanda in the lead is also late Bollywood star Dharmendra’s last movie
Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal was the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra. The biographical drama by Sriram Raghavan with Agastya Nanda in the lead is also late Bollywood star Dharmendra’s last movie
Sriram Raghavan’s biographical drama Ikkis, which hit the theatres in India today, is special in more ways than one. Not only is the film based on the story of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who was the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, it is also the last film featuring Bollywood legend Dharmendra, who passed away on November 24.
Ikkis, Raghavan’s next venture after Merry Christmas, has Agastya Nanda playing the 21-year-old Khetarpal and is helmed by Maddock Films of Thamma, Stree, Stree 2, Bhediya and Sky Force fame. Varun Dhawan was originally set to play Khetarpal in the film when the film was announced in 2019, but the delay due to Covid-19 pandemic forced the change eventually. Ikkis is Nanda’s second film, having debuted with The Archies in 2023.
The film is based on the young Indian Army officer’s actions during the Battle of Basantar in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, and follows the events that put a recently commissioned tank commander at the heart of a crucial battle that would have a lasting impact on the country’s military history.
‘Ikkis’ true story: Who was Arun Khetarpal?
Khetarpal was born on October 14, 1950, in Pune into a family with a long lineage of military service. His father, Brigadier M.L. Khetarpal (played by Dharmendra in the films), served in the Corps of Engineers, while his grandfather, reportedly, fought in World War I.
He attended St. Columba's School in Delhi and The Lawrence School, Sanawar. He joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) in 1967 (38th Course, Foxtrot Squadron) and later the Indian Military Academy (IMA).
He was commissioned into the 17 Poona Horse on June 13, 1971.