We were baffled by the response to 'Ikkis'; hope more people watch it on OTT: Sriram Raghavan

Mumbai: Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan said he was baffled by the response to his war drama ‘Ikkis’ but now hopes that more people will watch the movie following its debut on OTT. Released on January 1, the film is a biographical drama based on the life of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, featuring Agastya Nanda as the war hero. The film received positive reviews praising its peace-oriented narrative, but didn’t draw the audience to theatres in a big way.

“We were quite baffled, actually, by the response after ‘Ikkis’ came out. I hope people will watch the film at the click of the button on OTT,” Raghavan said on the sidelines of an event organised by Screenwriters Association (SWA), last evening.

‘Ikkis’, which landed on streaming service ‘Prime Video’ on Thursday, was the first war drama for Raghavan, who is known as the master of thrillers in Bollywood with films such as ‘Johnny Gaddar’, ‘Ek Haseena Thi’ and ‘Andhadhun’.

The film features two timelines - one that focuses on Khetrapal as a young recruit in the 1971 India-Pakistan war and the other about his elderly father, who travels to Pakistan years later to find out about the day his son fought and lost his life.

Raghavan’s 2024 film ‘Merry Christmas’, starring Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif, also didn’t perform well, despite receiving critical acclaim for its story, set on one night where two strangers meet on Christmas Eve.

Acknowledging that the industry is going through a challenging period, Raghavan said, “I’ve been hearing there is less work. I’ve not yet gone out with my next subject, so I don't know how bad it is. I’ve had two flops and it’s not easy.”

Quoting the iconic French filmmaker François Truffaut, Raghavan said a sentiment that defines his current state of mind is: “A filmmaker who’s not making a film or doesn’t have a subject, is the most miserable person on earth.”