Overview
- Dinesh Vijan recounts that no producers would fund the first Stree due to its title, prompting him to finance the 2018 film himself.
- The Stree franchise and recent Maddock releases such as Chhaava delivered hundreds of crores at the box office, which Vijan says now enables bolder choices.
- Ikkis, directed by Sriram Raghavan, is a biographical war drama on Param Vir Chakra recipient Arun Khetarpal starring Agastya Nanda, with Dharmendra appearing posthumously as Brigadier M. L. Khetarpal.
- The film is slated for a theatrical release on January 1, 2026, following a brief shift from an earlier December 25 date.
- Vijan cites private screenings that moved composer Pritam and Arun Khetarpal’s brother as meaningful validation, while signaling larger cultural projects ahead including Mahavatar.