Thumbs up, by Subhash K Jha,
…In the end, Ikkis leaves a lingering feeling of hope against the futility of war. Some quietly effective performances, especially Jaideep Ahlawat as a soldier torn between loyalty and compassion, elevate the less inspired passages of the narrative…
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Thumbs up,
…Ikkis is ultimately a meditation on bravery, pain and humanity. Honor sacrifice without glorifying violence and respect history without weaponizing it. By choosing empathy, reflection, and memory over spectacle or patriotism, the film strikes a rare balance, reminding us that true heroism is not just about feats on the battlefield, but also about the choices, memories, and legacies left behind…
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Thumbs up, by Simran Singh,
DNA
:
…Ikkis is more than a war film: it talks about love, duty, pain and belonging, emotions that transcend borders and uniforms. By choosing empathy over aggression and memory over messages, the film achieves something rare…
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Thumbs up, by Devesh Sharma,
…Agastya Nanda, making his big screen debut as Arun Khetarpal, does a credible job embodying the enthusiasm and idealism of an army kid raised on war stories. Their arc, from youthful bravado to grim resolve, is convincingly shaped through training sequences and battlefield reality….
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Thumbs up,
…The background music reflects the sober tone of the film, subtly enhancing moments of tension, loss and reflection without overpowering them. The war sequences rely on natural sound design, while the 2001 portions use sparse, contemplative music. The dialogue remains measured and purposeful, resonating through honesty rather than heightened drama….
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Thumbs up, by Lachmi Deb Roy,
…Sriram Raghavan has dealt with this topic with great care. Ikkis is truly a perfect movie to watch on New Year’s Day! In fact, it is an emotionally wrenching film and says a lot more without needing to make any noise about it. Ikkis is just the type of war drama we need in this scenario of breaking conventional cinema. This film is a sober and nuanced version of the true story of the war….
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Thumbs up, by Kabir Singh Bhandari,
…I never felt like the music during the war scenes was over the top. The rhythm of each moment, whether it be tank fights, emotionally charged moments or anything else, adds to the narrative, without ever venturing into the melodramatic zone…
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Thumbs up, by Nitin Jain,
…The music and background score play a vital role in maintaining this emotional undercurrent. The score never overwhelms; It creates mood, builds tension, and smoothly moves the narrative forward. The songs feel like a breeze: spontaneous, purposeful, and in rhythm with the emotional arc of the film. They provide energy where it is needed and moderation where silence speaks loudest….
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Thumbs up, by Rishabh Suri,
…Overall, Ikkis works best when it stops trying to be a war movie and becomes a painful reminder. It tells you something unbearable: that our freedoms were bought by people who never got to live theirs. You leave the theater not exalted or proud, but empty. And that pain, the kind that stays in your chest long afterward, is its most devastating triumph. The silence that follows the final scene is not cinematic. It is grief for a son who never returned home, for a father who lived long enough to endure that loss… for a country that remembers its heroes mostly in passing…
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Thumbs up, by Sana Farzeen,
…Debutante Simar Bhatia is promising and her scenes with Agastya will really make you blush. Together, they capture how young first love often helps us grow and evolve, shaping who we want to be or sometimes helping us realize what we don’t want to be. The supporting cast, including Vivaan Shah, Sikandar Kher and Rahul Dev, add their own flavor and elevate Agastya’s performance further….
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Thumbs up,
…The script by Sriram Raghavan, Arijit Biswas and Pooja Ladha Surti is emotionally honest. Rather than defining bravery, the film allows viewers to feel it. However, the 143-minute running time seems a bit long. Some subplots could have been adjusted to improve pacing, especially in the second half, which leans heavily on emotional moments and could have used sharper editing…
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Thumbs up, by Ayush Srivastava,
…Ikkis is not about winning wars, but about understanding what they leave behind. It is a film that values empathy over anger and memory over messages…
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Thumbs up, by Shubhra Gupta,
…Ultimately, Ikkis is a heartwarming film: the brave young soldier may have left this world too soon, but what he leaves in his wake is a touch of healing….
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Thumbs up, by Rajiv Vijayakar,
koimoi
:
…Agastya Nanda is excellent in the lead role; after all, he was the brightest spot even in his debut (OTT) release: The Archies, and he’s another actor who seems to follow the natural and easy path, just like his carter father here. There is a bright future ahead for this boy. Real debutant Simar Bhatia as Kiran Kochhar shows very strong potential within the very limited time and scope she has, and her body language, voice and facial expressions belie the fact that this is her first film. With the right roles and directors, I am sure he will go far. Sikander Kher makes for an effortless Sagat Singh. Rahul Dev as Lieutenant Colonel Hanut Singh is impressive….
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Thumbs up, by Mayank Shekhar,
NOON
:
…There is such a pure innocence in Nanda’s sincere presence on screen that no additional drama could so viscerally convey the point of the film. You say yes to the boy. You say no to war…
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Thumbs up,
Talkies
:
…Overall, Ikkis is a powerful and heartfelt war film that resonates in today’s action-driven film landscape. Honoring real-life hero Arun Khetarpal, it offers cinematic thrills and emotional depth. The final montage of black and white photographs is a moving tribute, leaving the public with immense respect for a legend who will always remain “21”: IKKIS….
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Thumbs up, by Saibal Chatterjee,
NDTV
:
…Ikkis definitely won’t get anything like the windfall that Dhurandhar has seen, but it’s reassuring that Mumbai hasn’t run out of filmmakers who won’t swim with the tide and dare to stand firm (the kind who fire sanity shots) no matter what. For that, and much more, go out and watch Ikkis. It’s not a typical Hindi war film…
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Thumbs up, by Isha Sharma,
…Ikkis marks a genre shift for Raghavan, best known for his neo-noir thrillers like Andhadhun and Ek Hasina Thi. It’s not entirely successful and Ikkis often struggles to participate, but its overall theme, that war has no winners, outweighs the drawbacks. The film talks about peace, and the honesty it reflects is difficult to find in Bollywood today…
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Thumbs up, by Sakshi Salil Chavan,
…Overall, Ikkis proves to be a fantastic palate cleanser of the nationalist drama genre, balancing the appetite for action with the very real human costs of war….
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Thumbs up, by Gayatri Nirmal,
…Watch it for the calm narration and as a respectful tribute to Dharmendra and Asrani….
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Thumbs up, by Mayur Sanap,
rediff
:
…This could easily have stood out as one of the best movies of the year if it had been released on the originally planned Christmas date. Still, Ikkis starts the 2026 film schedule on a positive note….
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Thumbs up, by Renuka Vyavahare,
…Ikkis serves as a warm and heartfelt tribute, not only to the nation’s brave souls, but also as a quiet recognition of the late Dharmendra’s acting prowess and range, which was often underutilized throughout his illustrious career. In a heartwarming scene, he leaves you teary-eyed with the line “Zindagi apna raasta bana hi leti hai.”
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