Mumbai: Jaideep Ahlawat, who will be seen next in a biopic on war hero Arun Khetarpal in ‘Ikkis’, said he feels ‘jealous’ when he sees someone in an Army uniform, as that was his dream when he was young.
Based on the life of the Param Vir Chakra recipient Arun Khetarpal, the film features actor Agastya Nanda in the role of Khetarpal and veteran star Dharmendra as his father, ML Khetarpal. It is directed by Sriram Raghavan, who also worked as a writer alongside Arijit Biswas and Pooja Ladha Surti.
The ‘Pataal Lok’ star said he has many friends in the Army. The actor said he failed the Services Selection Board exams twice. “I thought I would be a good Army officer, but unfortunately, I was sent back home. It is all an emotional moment for me,” he said at an event of ‘Ikkis’.
Ahlawat reportedly plays a decorated Pakistani army officer in the movie, which releases on December 25.
“The most difficult day in my life was when I was shooting for ‘Vishwaroopam’ in Chennai in 2013 and was coming back to Mumbai, the passing out of Officers Training Academy (OTA) was announced and at the airport I saw many boys and I was very jealous of them. I’ve many friends in the Indian army. Whenever I see someone in an army uniform, I get goosebumps because that was my first dream as an 18-year-old boy, who wanted to be in the Indian army,” Ahlawat, best known for ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, ‘Raazi’ and ‘The Family Man 3’, said.
Actors Sikander Kher, Shree Bishnoi and Simar Bhatia round out the cast of the film. ‘Ikkis’ is produced by Dinesh Vijan via ‘Maddock Films’.