Megastar Amitabh Bachchan was overwhelmed with emotion and pride as he watched his grandson Agastya Nanda in the upcoming war film “Ikkis,” describing his performance as “perfection in every shot.”
Reflecting on family memories, Amitabh began by sharing old photographs of his mother, Teji Bachchan, as a child alongside her father, Sardar Khazan Singh Suri, her British nanny, and her elder sister, Govind Maasi ji. He penned on his blog: “Ma ..with me maybe a couple of years old .. Ma .. with my Nana ji Sardar Khazan Singh Suri, on the right in white sari and with her, her British nanny, on the left Govind Maasi ji her elder sister ..(sic).”
He also reminisced about moments spent with his mother after returning home from the hospital following the 1982 Coolie accident, as well as an earlier photograph from before her marriage. He wrote, “Ma .. when I returned from Breach Candy after Coolie accident to home at Prateeksha .. and Ma .. an earlier picture, I think before marriage .. Now simply pleasant memories (sic).”
Connecting these memories to the present, Amitabh described the emotional experience of watching Agastya excel on screen. He recalled the day Agastya’s mother, Shweta, was rushed to the hospital during her final labor pains, holding her newborn just hours after his birth, even wondering if the baby’s eyes were blue. “Emotions flow .. As do they tonight when you witness the grandson excel in IKKIS .. the time when his Mother, Shweta is being rushed to Breach Candy Hospital as she encounters final labor pains .. his birth .. holding him barely a few hours later, and discussing whether his eyes were blue ..(sic).”
Amitabh traced Agastya’s journey from tender moments as a child, playing with his beard in his arms, to his decision to become an actor. “To the time when he grew a bit and holding him in my arms, and he fiddles with my beard .. to his growth .. to the final personal decision of his to be an actor. And tonight to see him in frame, unable to take my eyes off each time he fills the frames of the film .. (sic).”
Watching Agastya portray Param Vir Chakra awardee Arun Khetarpal in “Ikkis,” Amitabh noted he could not take his eyes off the screen when his grandson appeared. He praised Agastya’s maturity, honesty, and restraint, stating there was “nothing frill or froth.” “His maturity, his unfiltered honesty in his performance, his presence justifying the character he portrays .. nothing frill or froth, just the Arun Khetarpal soldier, who fought in his bravery as the 21-year-old, defending the nation during the India-Pak war of 1971…(sic).”
He added, “Nothing excessive, just the perfection in every shot .. when he is in the frame you only watch him .. and this is not a grandfather speaking, this is a hardened viewer of cinema .. (sic).”
Amitabh also described the film as flawless in its writing, direction, and presentation. “And the film flawless in its presentation .. its writing .. its direction .. And when it ends .. the eyes filled with tears of joy and pride .. unable to speak out .. In silence .. The silence that belongs to me .. my understanding .. no other .. (sic).”