Director Sriram Raghavan’s latest release Ikkis made headlines for more than just its storytelling. The film stirred debate over a disclaimer that labelled Pakistan as untrustworthy, drawing widespread attention online. Now, the filmmaker has revealed that he wasn’t particularly happy about the addition of the disclaimer.
Sriram on Ikkis disclaimer
During an interview with The Wire, Sriram Raghavan spoke about the disclaimer at the end of Ikkis. The disclaimer is about the cruelty shown by Pakistan towards Indian soldiers in war, adding that Pakistan is not “trustworthy”.
When asked about the disclaimer, which caught a lot of attention on social media at the time of the film’s release, Sriram said, “A lot of people have asked me about the disclaimer. So, I have decided not to talk about it. There were some givens for me from A, B, C.”
The director mentioned that the decision to add the disclaimer or not was not in his control.
Picking Badlapur as an example, Sriram explained, “I don’t know whether people who ask me about it have seen another film of mine, Badlapur (2015). There’s a music video in the end, which completely negates what the film is doing. It screwed up the mood of the film just by having the video! It was inserted at the insistence of my producer (Dinesh Vijan). Ikkis is also made by the same producer. He’s a superb guy; he let me make this film and helped me immensely. But the disclaimer was not something I was happy with personally.”
The disclaimers mentioned about the character of Brigadier KM Nisaar in particular, played by Jaideep Ahlawat in the film. He is shown to welcome Indian soldier Arun Khetarpal’s father at his home in Pakistan and talking to him about his martyr son.
The Hindi text read, “पाकिस्तानी ब्रिगेडियर के. म. निसार का मानवीय व्यवहार एक अपवाद स्वरूप घटना ही है। अन्यथा हमारा पड़ोसी मुल्क बिल्कुल भी विश्वसनीय नहीं है। पाकिस्तान की सेनाओं ने युद्धकाल और शांति दोनों ही समय में हमारे सैनिकों और नागरिकों के साथ बहुत ही क्रूर और अमानवीय व्यवहार किया है। उनको यातना देने में कई बार जिनेवा कन्वेंशन का खुलकर उल्लंघन किया है। पाकिस्तान द्वारा प्रायोजित आतंकवादी गतिविधियों को देखते हुए एक जागरूक नागरिक के रूप में हमें हमेशा सतर्क और तैयार रहने की जरूरत है। जय हिन्द”
The English translation of the same is, “The humane behaviour of Pakistani Brigadier K. M. Sisar is only an exceptional incident. Otherwise, our neighbouring country is not trustworthy at all. Pakistan’s armies, both during war and in times of peace, have behaved very cruelly and inhumanely with our soldiers and citizens. In torturing them, they have repeatedly and openly violated the Geneva Convention. Considering the terrorist activities sponsored by Pakistan, as responsible citizens we must always remain alert and prepared. Jai Hind.”
About Ikkis
Ikkis is a biographical war drama based on the life of Second Lieutenant Arun Kheterpal, the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra. Set against the backdrop of the Battle of Basantar during the 1971 India–Pakistan War, the film marks Agastya Nanda’s debut on the big screen. It also features Jaideep Ahlawat, Simar Bhatia and late veteran actor Dharmendra. While the film was praised for its sensitive portrayal of war and soldiers, as well as the cast’s performances, it also faced criticism for depicting Pakistani soldiers in a favourable light. Directed by Sriram Raghavan, it is produced by Dinesh Vijan under Maddock Films.