Weekend Watch: 'Ikkis' to 'Azad Bharat' Lead 2026's First Big Screen Lineup

• 2026 kicks off with a diverse cinematic slate, offering action dramas, psychological thrillers, and animated films.
• Sriram Raghavan's 'Ikkis' (Jan 1) chronicles Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal's valor in the 1971 war, starring Agastya Nanda and Dharmendra.
• Animated adventure 'The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants' and erotic thriller 'The Housemaid' (both Jan 1) also hit theaters.
• Anime fans can catch 'Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory/Premature Death' (Jan 1), exploring Gojo and Geto's past.
• Roopa Iyer's 'Azad Bharat' (Jan 2) highlights freedom fighter Neera Arya and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's women's army.

Why It Matters: A diverse array of films, from historical dramas to anime, marks the first weekend of 2026.