Ikkis-gun salute to 2nd Lt Khetarpal

Can a film on a war hero shun jingoism? Can a film based on the 1971 war avoid thriving on an anti-Pakistan sentiment? In times when ‘Dhurandhar’ is roaring at the box office, can it dare to go in the opposite direction? Can there be a war movie that instead of exacerbating conflicts is rather calming? The answer to all these questions is a resounding ‘yes’. National Award-winning director Sriram Raghavan (for ‘Andhadhun’) not only reinvents himself by moving to a genre he is not quite known for, but also shows what a biopic and a war movie should entail.

In this tale of India’s youngest Param Vir Chakra recipient, Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, there is no chest-thumping, no over-the-top patriotic sloganeering. A human story from start to finish, it moves in two timelines. One is the year of the war, 1971, and the other is 2001. Since the climax is already known to audiences, Raghavan and his co-writers Arijit Biswas and Pooja Ladha Surti still manage to introduce an element of surprise.

In 1971, we meet Arun Khetarpal celebrating his 21st birthday with cake smeared on his face, excited to go to war. In 2001, it’s his father, retired Brigadier ML Khetarpal, played by Dharmendra, who of all the places has decided to visit his birthplace Sargodha in Pakistan. His host in Pakistan, Brigadier Khwaja Mohammed Naseer (Jaideep Ahlawat), has some connection with the martyred Second Lieutenant.

It’s not hard to guess what Naseer is holding close to his chest. Yet the astute story-teller in Raghavan, with help from his editors Monisha R Baldawa and Pooja Ladha Surti, has us fairly invested, even intrigued.

If ‘Dhurandhar’ showed us terrorism from the soil which supports it unabashedly, here we become privy to the bravery of an Indian Army officer through the eyes of a Pakistani. Thus, the gifted maker known to turn the hero-antihero binary on its head blurs the line between friend and foe.

In a war, there is an enemy nation for sure but at the end of the day, aren’t they all soldiers, responding to the call of duty of their respective nations? Wearing its equanimous point of view upfront, the film might be accused of being too soft in its portrayal of war as well of of Pakistanis. Yet it touches your heart from the very onset.

The presence of the late Dharmendra adds to the film’s emotive power. The reality that this happens to be his last film makes you misty-eyed the moment you lay your eyes on him. In this swan song of the superstar, Dharmendra is all heart, tugging at your emotional chords with heartfelt genuineness. You feel the sacrifice of Arun more through his grief, which again is more internalised, evident in the dialogue: “Woh hamesha ikkis ka rahega.”

Agastya Nanda, playing the 21-year-old, wins you over with his endearing sincerity. He looks and acts that youngster flush with enthusiasm and the bravado of youth. But does a hero really know he is going to be immortalised in the pages of history? It’s always that one audacious act, one moment of resolute courage in the face of death and enemy in which one emerges victorious, even if means making the ultimate sacrifice.

What makes the film shine is not just these built-in inflections, but also a restrained standout act by Jaideep Ahlawat, knocking out all stereotypes we nurse of the Pakistan army.

Tank warfare is executed with remarkable authenticity and felicity. Director of photography Anil Mehta’s framing of the war scenes enhances the tension, especially in the Battle of Basantar. Indian troops crossing the river in the night hours is shot with just the right degree of opaqueness. Attention to detail manifests in Arun Khetarpal’s military academy days, right to the elegance of 17th Poona Horse’s attire.

Yesteryear songs like ‘Mere sapnon ki raani..’ are other markers defining the era. There is a romantic angle too. Akshay Kumar’s niece Simar Bhatia as Kiran makes an assured debut and Naseeruddin Shah’s son Vivaan Shah as the cheerful Captain Vijender Malhotra establishes how talent runs in the family.

Sikander Kher as Risaldar Sagat Singh and Rahul Dev as Lt Col Hanut Singh are valuable additions.

We see soldiers dying on both sides and the vanquished Pakistanis strapped on to tanks too, but nowhere does Raghavan aim for hyper-nationalism or targets your tear ducts. In this heart-warming biopic of an exemplary martyr, though you walk out of theatres with a lump and a salute to Arun Khetarpal, the film also reposes faith in humanity and, of course, brings out the futility of war.

The climax in which Jaideep’s hearty laugh continues to ring in your ears is yet another reminder of how conflicts are never-ending and Pakistan’s ISI will remain what it is.

Here is a story which was not only waiting to be told but has been told with a difference, cast in a mould of Sriram Raghavan’s making.

Don’t miss ‘Ikkis’.