All posts tagged: Raghavan

Director Sriram Raghavan reveals why Saif Ali Khan was hesitant to join Ek Hasina Thi

Director Sriram Raghavan reveals why Saif Ali Khan was hesitant to join Ek Hasina Thi

Published by Webster

Today, Saif Ali Khan is widely recognised for his versatility onscreen, effortlessly moving between romantic dramas, comedies and dark thrillers. But even the most seasoned actors cannot always predict which films will eventually become cult favourites. One such film is Ek Hasina Thi — a gritty thriller that Saif himself was initially unsure about. Saif Ali Khan with Urmila Matondkar in Ek Hasina Thi Released in 2004, the film marked the directorial debut of Sriram Raghavan and was produced by Ram Gopal Varma. Starring Saif alongside Urmila Matondkar, the revenge drama has since earned a strong following for its dark storytelling and sharp performances. However, according to Raghavan, Saif was hesitant about taking on the role when the project first came his way. Why was Saif unsure about the film? At a Masterclass session at the Red Lorry Film Festival Raghavan revealed that Saif was still navigating his career choices at the time. Raghavan said, “For Urmila, it was a role she was comfortable with, but Saif was unsure because he had just done Dil …

Saif Ali Khan was not sure about doing ‘Ek Hasina Thi’: Director Siram Raghavan

Saif Ali Khan was not sure about doing ‘Ek Hasina Thi’: Director Siram Raghavan

Published by Parlour News

Mumbai, Director Sriram Raghavan revealed that Saif Ali Khan was initially hesitant to star in his 2004 widely-acclaimed movie, “Ek Hasina Thi”. Saif Ali Khan was not sure about doing ‘Ek Hasina Thi’: Director Siram Raghavan The neo-noir action thriller film marked Raghavan’s directorial debut and was produced by Ram Gopal Varma. The film featured Saif opposite Urmila Matondkar in the lead. “For Urmila, it was an auto-backed role, and Saif was a little unsure because he had just done ‘Dil Chahta Hai’. He had just started getting a sense of whether people liked or not; he has not had many successes for a long time. “‘Ek Hasina Thi’ was his 44th film. He was not sure whether this was the right thing to do. But somehow, we got along; we sort of liked the same films and books. So, he trusted me,” Raghavan said at a Masterclass session on day three of the Red Lorry Film Festival here. The director, known as the master of thrillers in Bollywood with films such as “Johnny Gaddar”, …

Ikkis: Sriram Raghavan examines war through the lens of a 21-year-old who believed his duty was more important than his questions | Bollywood News

Ikkis: Sriram Raghavan examines war through the lens of a 21-year-old who believed his duty was more important than his questions | Bollywood News

Published by Webster

Paul Tibbets was 30 years old when he was tasked with the responsibility of dropping a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima in 1945. This, as we now know, was a pivotal moment in the history of humankind, as wars would never be the same again. The threat of a nuclear bomb would always loom upon us, as it continues to do so in 2026. But at the time, Paul, perhaps, was not aware of the catastrophe that would happen. He was a soldier who was just following orders, and was asked to be proud of his country’s actions. He was, and he proved it by naming the nuclear bomb carrying aircraft after his mother, Enola Gay. The idea that he named the carrier of such destruction after his mother explains that for him, this was a brave, heroic act. But on the other side were countless civilians, who suffered for decades. Living in a world where brutal wars are killing thousands (maybe more) every day, one cannot help but think that much like Paul, soldiers all …

‘It will be India-Pakistan, I don’t want to do it’: Sriram Raghavan on Dharmendra turning down Agent Vinod

‘It will be India-Pakistan, I don’t want to do it’: Sriram Raghavan on Dharmendra turning down Agent Vinod

Published by Webster

Late actor Dharmendra’s last film was filmmaker Sriram Raghavan‘s war drama Ikkis. Speaking at an event organised by the Screenwriters Association (SWA), Sriram revealed that Dharmendra had turned down a role for his 2012 film Agent Vinod. Dharmendra with Sriram Raghavan during the shoot of Ikkis in Lucknow in 2023. Sriram Raghavan reveals why Dharmendra declined to be part of Agent Vinod. Sriram previously worked with Dharmendra in his 2007 film, Johnny Gaddar. He revealed that while planning Agent Vinod, he had approached the veteran actor for the role of a RAW chief, which Dharmendra declined. “After Johnny Gaddar, I told him I want to work with you again, and he said, ‘Yes, of course’. When I was doing Agent Vinod, I remember we had written a role for the head of RAW, and his counterpart was going to be Zeenat Aman; we wanted her to be in Russia. So, it was an older and a younger story,” he said as quoted by news agency PTI. “But it was all in the writing stage. When …

Ikkis director Sriram Raghavan was ‘quite baffled by response’ to Agastya Nanda film: I hope people will watch it on OTT

Ikkis director Sriram Raghavan was ‘quite baffled by response’ to Agastya Nanda film: I hope people will watch it on OTT

Published by Parlour News

Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan says he was baffled by the response to his war drama Ikkis. Speaking on the sidelines of an event organised by the Screenwriters Association (SWA), he discussed his film and hoped more people would watch it following its OTT debut. Sriram Raghavan spoke about his film Ikkis starring Agastya Nanda. Sriram Raghavan on audience’s response to Ikkis “We were quite baffled, actually, by the response after the film (Ikkis) came out. I hope people will watch the film at the click of the button (on OTT),” Sriram said as quoted by news agency PTI. Drawing inspiration from classic war cinema such as Ballad of a Soldier, Flags of our Fathers, Cranes are Flying, Battle of the Bulge, he said he sought to create a film that prioritises human emotions. Sriram talks about Ikkis plot “If I were completely against the ideology of Ikkis, I would not have made it. But for me, if it was just the story of the boy, it would not have (been) enough, I wouldn’t know how to …

‘We were quite baffled’: Sriram Raghavan on response to Ikkis, says many who objected haven’t seen the film | Bollywood News

‘We were quite baffled’: Sriram Raghavan on response to Ikkis, says many who objected haven’t seen the film | Bollywood News

Published by Webster

Inspired by the life of Arun Khetarpal, the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, Ikkis revisits the Battle of Basantar during the 1971 India–Pakistan War. The film, starring Agastya Nanda, Jaideep Ahlawat and Dharmendra, has been widely appreciated for its deeply humane gaze rather than overt displays of chest-thumping nationalism which has become a part of films nowadays. At a recent Vartalaap session hosted by the Screenwriters Association (SWA), director Sriram Raghavan spoke with filmmaker Satyanshu Singh about Ikkis’ journey. The conversation, attended by Charudutt Acharya, Hitesh Kewalya, Anu Singh, and lyricist Raj Shekhar, turned to whether Ikkis had encountered any pushback. Sriram Raghavan on the response to Ikkis Raghavan admitted that the response following the film’s release caught the team off guard. “We were quite baffled, actually, by the response after the film came out,” he said. The filmmaker explained that the script underwent the standard vetting process with the army several years ago, and members of the armed forces were also present during the shoot. When the film was finally shown to …

‘Did we put it or not?’: Sriram Raghavan gives an ‘Andhadhun’ reply to Ikkis Pakistan disclaimer row, admits he wasn’t ‘personally happy’ | Bollywood News

‘Did we put it or not?’: Sriram Raghavan gives an ‘Andhadhun’ reply to Ikkis Pakistan disclaimer row, admits he wasn’t ‘personally happy’ | Bollywood News

Published by Parlour News

3 min readNew DelhiFeb 25, 2026 09:50 AM IST When Agastya Nanda-Jaideep Ahlawat-starrer Ikkis released on New Year’s Day, many viewers described it as “a love letter to peace.” However, some were taken aback by the disclaimer at the end of the film, which stated that Pakistanis are “not trustworthy” — a sentiment that felt ironic and at odds with the film’s narrative. Nearly two months later, filmmaker Sriram Raghavan has responded to the controversy surrounding the disclaimer. ‘Have decided not to answer this’ Speaking to The Wire, the director said, “A lot of people asked me about the disclaimer at the end and I just decided not to talk about it. It is simply because there are some givens for me from A, B, C. The point is, what I thought the best answer would be is Andhadhun. We left the end with the thought — is he blind or not blind? Similarly, the disclaimer — did we put it or not? Let’s leave it at that.” ‘Producer insisted it’ Raghavan explained that certain …

Sriram Raghavan was not happy about Pakistan ‘not trustworthy’ disclaimer in Ikkis: ‘I don’t know…’

Sriram Raghavan was not happy about Pakistan ‘not trustworthy’ disclaimer in Ikkis: ‘I don’t know…’

Published by Parlour News

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. Ikkis features Agastya Nanda and Vivaan Shah. 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 …

Ikkis: Sriram Raghavan was not happy with `Pakistan untrustworthy` disclaimer

Ikkis: Sriram Raghavan was not happy with `Pakistan untrustworthy` disclaimer

Published by Webster

Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan’s recently released film Ikkis went on to receive much appreciation from critics and audiences alike. Now, months after the film was released in theatres, Sriram has opened up about a disclaimer in the film that called Pakistan untrustworthy. The director shared that he himself was not happy with the said disclaimer. Sriram Raghavan on Ikkis disclaimer Speaking to The Wire during a recent conversation, Sriram Raghavan 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.” Raghavan further shared that there are some decisions that are not entirely in his control. He cited the example of Badlapur, saying, “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! It was inserted at the insistence of my producer (Dinesh Vijan).” “Ikkis is …

Karan Johar gives a glowing review to Ikkis, calls Sriram Raghavan film a ‘love letter to peace’: ‘I was so moved’

Karan Johar gives a glowing review to Ikkis, calls Sriram Raghavan film a ‘love letter to peace’: ‘I was so moved’

Published by Webster

Updated on: Jan 05, 2026 05:30 pm IST Ikkis stars Agastya Nanda as Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who was martyred at the age of 21 during the Battle of Basantar. Ikkis has received a thumbs up from filmmaker Karan Johar. The Sriram Raghavan film stars Agastya Nanda, late actor Dharmendra in his final screen appearance, along with Jaideep Ahlawat, Simar Bhatia and Rahul Dev. It was released in theatres on January 1. Karan took to his Instagram account on Monday to review the film and said he was ‘deeply moved’ by it. Karan Johar has given a positive review to Ikkis and praised Agastya Nanda’s performance. Karan’s review of Ikkis Karan shared the poster of Ikkis and reviewed the film in the caption. He began, “IKKIS is a love letter to peace… an honestly and earnestly told story about the absolute redundancy of war….i was so moved by so many moments of the film … it silently screams … and that’s where Sriram Raghavan gets it so right… i was moist eyed everytime Dharamji was …