Agastya Nanda reacts to the pressure of being Amitabh Bachchan's grandson: 'That's not my legacy, my surname is Nanda'

After The Archies, Agastya Nanda made his theatrical debut with 'Ikkis', playing Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal. Around the time of both releases, he was often introduced less as a newcomer and more as Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson, with frequent references to his connections to the Kapoor family as well. But in a recent interview, Agastya clarified that he does not see himself through those surnames. He clarified that his identity begins and ends with the name Nanda.

Being Amitabh Bachchan's son may come with a huge pressure, but Agastya said that he doesn't think of it because he doesn't really belong to that legacy. During an IMDb interactive session with filmmaker Sriram Raghavan and co-star Simar Bhatia, Agastya was asked about the pressure of belonging to such a celebrated film family. Sriram put it to him directly, “Because you come from such an illustrious family on both sides—legends, really—does that put a lot of pressure on you?”


Agastya dismissed the idea outright. “I don’t take that pressure in the slightest because that’s not my legacy to own. My surname is Nanda because I am my father’s son first. I focus on making him proud—that’s the legacy I carry very heavily. My other family members, who are actors, I admire their work and I love their work. But I don’t think I can ever be them, so it’s not even worth spending time thinking about it,” he said.

Agastya is the son of Shweta Nanda, daughter of Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. His father, Nikhil Nanda, is the son of Ritu Nanda, Raj Kapoor’s daughter—placing Agastya within two of Hindi cinema’s most influential families.

The conversation later turned light-hearted, with Simar Bhatia jokingly calling Agastya a bully, a liar, and a “complaint box.” Recalling their time on set, Agastya told Sriram Raghavan, “She is like those first benchers in school. She used to go back, study, and make notes.”

Simar quickly shot back, “If I am a first bencher, then you are also a bully.”

Continuing the banter, Agastya said, “She would write down what she was going to say the next day, ‘This is my line.’”

Simar disagreed immediately, saying, “Absolutely not. You can’t do that in a movie with him,” referring to Raghavan.

Agastya added with a laugh, “She directs me when you’re not looking. During scenes, she would point at me and say, ‘Say the line like this.’ And when we were dancing, she would tell me, ‘Keep your back straight.’”

'Ikkis' released in theatres on January 1. The film also features Dharmendra in a posthumous appearance and Jaideep Ahlawat in a pivotal role. It has collected ₹20.72 crore at the domestic box office within five days of release.
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