{"id":408750,"date":"2026-01-15T12:40:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T12:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/408750\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T12:40:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T12:40:13","slug":"with-films-like-120-bahadur-ikkis-indian-war-cinema-is-maturing-hindi-movie-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/408750\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018With films like 120 Bahadur, Ikkis, Indian war cinema is maturing\u2019 | Hindi Movie News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\u2018With<\/p>\n

\u2018Devoid of rhetoric\u2019 | \u2018Depict the human side of war\u2019 | \u2018No loud heroism\u2019<\/p>\n

Sriram Raghavan<\/a>\u2019s Ikkis is earning rare praise from Indian Army veterans as a wellcrafted war drama that also works as a powerful anti-war film. The film follows the story of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal (played by Agastya Nanda<\/a>), a tank commander, who was martyred at the age of 21 during the Battle of Basantar in the 1971 Indo-Pak War. He was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India\u2019s highest wartime gallantry award. Veterans praise the film\u2019s meticulous battle scenes and its humane portrayal of soldiers.Major General (retd) Yash Mor says some of the recent war films, including Ikkis and 120 Bahadur , depict a maturity in war cinema in India. On Army Day<\/a>, we speak to several former officers to understand what, in their view, defines a truly compelling war film.<\/p>\n

Ikkis Rejects Chest-Thumping Patriotism, Asks Who Really Wins After Medals And Martyrdom<\/p>\n

\u2018It is important for a war \ufb01lm to show the human side of war, emotional depth and that humanity often exists beyond con\ufb02ict\u2019 Major General (retd) Yash Mor says, \u201cIn the genre of war \ufb01lms, 120 Bahadur and Ikkis show a maturity of Indian cinema. These \ufb01lms pick strong themes devoid of rhetoric and jingoism. There is no excessive, over-the-top patriotism like we saw in Border and many other \ufb01lms. Ikkis, in particular, is wonderful. It shows the human side of war, emotional depth, and that humanity often exists beyond con\ufb02ict. History shows that even after terrible wars, people eventually reach out to one another and peace is restored.\u201d \u2018Creating a story around infantry life is easier than portraying armoured warfare\u2019 \u201cFilms like L.O.C. Kargil , Lakshya , and Pippa were absolutely to the point in their treatment of the military,\u201d says Major (retd) Sandeep Sangwan, adding, Sam Bahadur was particularly well made, even though it was a biographical \ufb01lm. Now Ikkis has arrived, and 120 Bahadur is another important \ufb01lm.\u201d Speaking about the \ufb01lm , Major (retd) Sangwan adds, \u201cThe battle scenes are immersive and powerful. The acting is excellent and true to the era, and the 1962 war scenes are recreated very accurately.\u201dTalking about Ikkis , he explains, \u201cTank battle (scenes) require real tanks, accurate movement, correct command structures, and proper communication between tanks and soldiers. In terms of armoured warfare technicalities, Ikkis does full justice.\u201d\u2018Realism in war cinema doesn\u2019t come from explosions\u2019\u2018WAR FILMS HELP BRING HEROES LIKE 2ND LT ARUN KHETARPAL AND MAJOR SHAITAN SINGH BHATI INTO PUBLIC MEMORY\u2019Reflecting on the evolution of war cinema, Major General (retd) Yash Mor says,\u201cSome of the best war films were made in the 1960s and 1970s like Haqeeqat . Later films like and Prahaar, Lakshya and LOC: Kargil also came close to depicting war realistically. Then we entered a phase of over-the-top jingoism. War films should be made in a way that people can watch them even 30 to 40 years later, and students of history can learn from them much like Hollywood\u2019s World War II films. I believe we are finally catching up. Ikkis is a film I would recommend to everyone. It shows how a very young officer, with limited experience, goes into battle and reveals the human side of war. Ultimately, it underlines that war is futile \u2013 even if some hardliners dismiss it as \u2018Aman ki Asha\u2019 thinking.\u201dIn Ikkis , 2nd Lt Khetarpal is initially excited about going to war. But later in the film, while he is on the ground, a reporter\u2019s question brings home the reality of war. Veterans say that transition is portrayed beautifully. Major (retd) Sandeep Sangwan adds, \u201cSoldiers are trained to feel an internal call to fight if war breaks out. But war is never good \u2013 it destroys economies and takes countless lives. Still, when war happens, a soldier will always step forward to defend the nation. Films like Ikkis and 120 Bahadur help bring forgotten heroes like Arun Khetarpal and Major Shaitan Singh Bhati into public memory.\u201dMajor General (retd) Yash Mor adds,\u201cPerhaps someday a film will also be made on Captain Bana Singh, the hero of Siachen.\u201d Major (retd) Mohommed Ali Shah adds,\u201cMy father, Lieutenant General Zameer Uddin Shah, former Deputy Chief of the Army Staff, fought in the 1971 war. My cousin Vivaan Shah played Captain Vijendra Malhotra in Ikkis recently, and he dedicated the film to him. War films must explore duty, loss, and the human cost of war… The best war films also show how a boy becomes a soldier \u2013 what inspires him.\u201d\u2018What works in war films… is when they get the basics right\u2019Talking about realistic depictions, Santosh Singh, director of Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond , explains, \u201cI think the most realistic war films are the ones that don\u2019t try too hard to look heroic. Real battles are messy, tense, and often quiet for long hours and that\u2019s something cinema sometimes forgets. What works for me in films like Border , Uri , Sam Bahadur , even some of the recent attempts is when they get the basics right, procedure, hierarchy, the uncertainty of war. While directing Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond , I realised realism doesn\u2019t come from explosions or scale. It comes from behaviour, how soldiers speak, how they receive orders, how pressure is handled. These are trained professionals, not characters constantly delivering punchlines or dramatic speeches. To make battle feel real, as a filmmaker we have to respect the subject… War isn\u2019t just about bravado, it is about responsibility, precision and the human cost behind every decision.\u201d \"120<\/p>\n

120 Bahadur<\/p>\n

120 Bahadur recounts the story of Param Vir Chakra awardee Major Shaitan Singh Bhati, who along with 120 soldiers, held off Chinese forces for 48 hours without any support during the Battle of Rezang La (1962). It has been appreciated by army veterans for its battle scenes and accuracy \"Agastya<\/p>\n

Agastya Nanda in Ikkis<\/p>\n

Several Army officers who recently watched Ikkis recalled hearing Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal\u2019s name spoken with reverence during their training days. They say the film\u2019s meticulously staged scenes from the Battle of Basantar (1971) and its focus on soldiers\u2019 inner conflicts humanise the men in the uniforms \u2013 something the finest war films manage to do \"Lakshya\"<\/p>\n

Lakshya<\/p>\n

Lakshya was praised for its authentic portrayal of uniformed life and the Kargil War (1999) \"Haqeeqat\"<\/p>\n

Haqeeqat<\/p>\n

\"Uri\"<\/p>\n

Uri<\/p>\n

(Above) A still from Haqeeqat , set against the Sino- Indian War of 1962, with Dharmendra playing the role of Captain Bahadur Singh(Below) Vicky Kaushal portrayed Major Vihaan Singh Shergill in Uri: The Surgical Strike , which is based on India\u2019s retaliation to the 2016 Uri attack \"LOC:<\/p>\n

LOC: Kargil<\/p>\n

A still from LOC: Kargil featuring Sanjay Kapoor as Major Deepak Rampal who fought in the 1999 Kargil War<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u2018Devoid of rhetoric\u2019 | \u2018Depict the human side of war\u2019 | \u2018No loud heroism\u2019 Sriram Raghavan\u2019s Ikkis is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":408751,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[149826,139885,196491,2711,88,149823,53303,149669,206,139888],"class_list":["post-408750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-120-bahadur","tag-agastya-nanda","tag-army-day","tag-bollywood","tag-entertainment","tag-farhan-akhtar","tag-hindi-cinema","tag-ikkis","tag-movies","tag-sriram-raghavan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408750"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408750\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/408751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}