Rishabh Shetty's Kantara Chapter 1 is biggest challenge to Agastya Nanda's Ikkis

Kantara led by Rishab Shetty was one of the biggest ever Sandalwood hits that also did a very good business in Bollywood. Apart from the fact that Rishab Shetty nailed the lead character, the movie also made a massive impact on the audience. And that is why Rishab Shetty is now coming out with Kantara Chapter 1 which seems to be the prequel of the earlier movie. Since it belongs to a hit franchise, the flick is expected to trigger a huge response across the country once it hits the theaters.

While this can be good news for movie fans who love to watch better content, it can be bad news for Agastya Nanda or rather a challenge to the star kid who is all set to make his Bollywood debut with Ikkis. It is a Bollywood debut flick of Agastya Nanda which will clash with Kantara Chapter 1 at the box-office and that makes this a big challenge for the young actor.

Rishab Shetty and Agastya Nanda releases to clash

Produced by Maddock Films, Ikkis is a war drama which will be released on October 2, 2025. October 2 is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti across the country and is also a national holiday. Naturally the producers are hopeful that this Thursday-release with a long weekend will definitely help them recover most of the investment in the first week itself.

#Ikkis, presented by Dinesh Vijan and Maddock Films and directed by brilliant #SriramRaghavan, starring #AgastyaNanda, #Dharmendra and #JaideepAhlawat. pic.twitter.com/ybK8xgMmh3

— Neeti Roy (@neetiroy) May 24, 2025

Directed by Badlapur-fame director Sriram Raghavan, Ikkis also stars Jaideep Ahlawat and veteran star Dharmendra. Agastya Nanda has a stellar role as he plays the young lead in Ikkis which has the Indo-Pakistan 1971 war as the backdrop.

Rishab Shetty’s Kantara Chapter 1 will also release on the same date and since the first movie from the franchise was a big hit fans may get divided when it comes to advance booking. A lot also depends on the promotions, teasers and trailers and if Agastya manages to impress the audience with these initial promotional releases then Ikkis might also get a good response and who knows may even surprise Kantara Chapter 1 in the long run.