Almost three decades after Border, Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna come together on screen for Ikka, a pulsating courtroom drama where the two veteran actors — fresh off the massive success of Border 2 and Dhurandhar, respectively — face off against each other. Set to premiere on Netflix on July 10, Ikka also stars Tillotama Shome and Dia Mirza and is directed by Siddharth P. Malhotra. t2 caught up with the filmmaker for a chat on his much-anticipated film.
Ikka promises to be an explosive watch. What has caught the attention of the audience so far?
They are expecting a full-on masala entertainer. Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna are coming off the massive successes of Border 2 and Dhurandhar, respectively, and the expectations are huge, which I am well aware of. The film has generated a lot of buzz, which is getting amplified every day.
And you aren’t taking any pressure at all?
I don’t know if I should because that is not going to help me! What I should take the pressure of is to deliver a good film... to make a film that the fans of these two actors would expect from me. There is a certain fandom that they come with and I feel I should not disappoint them. At the same time, I should put forth my voice and my reason to make this film. A film should be made for the larger audience out there. We have very good actors in the form of Tillotama (Shome) and Dia (Mirza) who add heft to the film. It will release on Netflix in 190 countries on the same day. It is huge for me.
Take us through the journey of Ikka, right from its inception...
This was the first film that I wanted to make... I had this idea even before We Are Family (his 2010 debut directorial). In fact, it was almost greenlit on some occasions, but for various reasons, it didn’t happen. I guess God has a plan and every film has its own destiny. Even Maharaj (2024) took some time to be made, and so did Hichki (2018).
I would like to believe that the wait for Ikka has been worth it because God has given me Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna at the most opportune time. They are on a huge box-office high now.
From the time we wrote the film, there was nobody but Sunny Deol on my mind. I have always been a huge fan of his, and after working with him as a director, I am also a fan of him as a human being. The human being in him is bigger than the superstar that he is. He is a solid family guy. I have seen all that he has gone through, but he always has a smile on his face.
The moment Ikka got greenlit, Netflix asked me who I wanted in the role of Shauryamann Gaur and I thought of Akshaye Khanna. I didn’t know whether he would do it, but I knew there was no harm in hearing “no”. I thought the script was very good, the role was fantastic and we could approach him. He read it in the first go and said he was doing it, and within a week we had signed the contract with him! If he really wants to do a film, he doesn’t waste time. He is very clear about the way he works and he expects that level of professionalism from everyone else as well.
Sunny is known to be the strong, silent type, while Akshaye is usually reticent and reclusive. Did you discover a new aspect to their respective personas that the world doesn’t know much of?
I have understood them as human beings as well as how they operate vis-a-vis film people. As a director, if I don’t understand the person behind the actor, then how am I going to get the best out of him?
At a time when everybody seems to have some agenda, I have realised that they are both very straightforward people. This is the day and age when we have to deal more with the managers of actors than the actors themselves (smiles), but both Sunny sir and Akshaye are the kind who will tell you on your face what is on their minds. There are no egos and complications. Once they aligned on a scene, everything worked out very smoothly.
Do you find this kind of professional and eye-on-the-ball attitude mostly in actors from the generation they belong to?
I have worked with the new generation as well, like Junaid (Khan), Sharvari and Shalini (Pandey) in Maharaj. That film was almost like launching newcomers... it was anyway Junaid’s first release. I also had Jaideep Ahlawat in Maharaj, who is extremely professional. So was Tillotama in Ikka. These are the kind of actors who get into the skin of their characters, their backstories... they will have a lot of discussions which, as a director, you are more than happy to do. I like to have answers for every character in my film.
Actors like Bebo (Kareena Kapoor Khan), Kajol and Rani (Mukerji) are old school. They have spoilt me with their professionalism. I think when I work more with the next generation, I will get the shock of my life because their managers come and dictate a lot! It becomes a very weird situation.
Did you also grow up in the ’90s watching Sunny Deol going “tareekh pe tareekh” in Damini...
It is ingrained in me for life! At one point, I did a Kishore Namit Kapoor acting class and the first piece they gave us to enact was a scene from Ghayal! I have seen almost every film of his — even Aag Ka Gola — because I am a huge filmy kid. My grandfather, the legendary Premnathji, was very close to Dharamji (Dharmendra). Bobby (Deol) has always been a dear friend. So, it has been a good journey with them.
What was it like directing a courtroom thriller, which is a common but evergreen genre?
Maharaj was also a courtroom drama; it was based on a real-life case. Ikka, as a film, was very clear in my mind. I had seen the film too many times in my head over the years. What is very important for a courtroom drama is to get the tone right. With Sunny and Akshaye involved, I had to be in the realistic zone and yet make the film entertaining. Once I had aligned on the sur of the film, we knew what we had to do exactly because we had a good script. Althea (Kaushal) has written the script which has twists and turns till the last scene. You cannot easily predict the direction in which the film is going. It is definitely not Sunny Deol in another Damini. Then, one would rather watch Damini again (smiles). The film is on Netflix, which automatically tells you that you will not be getting a man shouting throughout or getting angry and beating up people. You are going to get a lot of performances, layers, grey shades.... All my films have dealt with complex human relationships and emotions.
Even as you debate whether Akshaye’s character is right or wrong, you will feel for him. You will feel for all the characters in Ikka.
There is no formula for a courtroom drama. You have to keep the audience hooked to the story and the characters till the end. As a viewer, if you don’t end up rooting for the characters or are not interested to see where they land up eventually, then I have lost as a filmmaker. You have to keep the audience invested in the human drama of the court case in question.
What have you discovered about the fandom of these two actors and have they expanded after the success of Border 2 and Dhurandhar?
Akshaye doesn’t do any publicity, he doesn’t attend any trailer launches and yet he has a huge fandom. He has a loyal audience which has not been engineered in any way because Akshaye never does that. He doesn’t give two hoots. Before we revealed the name of his character in Ikka, I had so many people asking me for it. Even these seemingly small things matter to the fandom that he has.
Sunny sir’s fans — including me — treat him as God. Once you interact with him, you will fall in love with him. He also has a certain aura and star power. His fans are aware of anything that comes out with respect to him and they are very diligent about it.
They worked together in Ikka almost three decades after Border. What was the interaction between them off camera like?
It was Akshaye who told me that he and Sunny sir were coming together on screen 29 years after Border. The first time they met on the sets of Ikka, they hugged each other for a long time... almost two-three minutes! It told us so much about the warmth and the bond they share. These are not the kind of actors who go into their vanity vans for hours and sit with social media. They would hang out between shots, discuss the scene being filmed and talk about old times. It was fun being around them because I got to hear many interesting anecdotes from their films.
Did you, at any point, feel that Ikka could have been a theatrical release given the blockbuster status of your actors’ last two films?
I have been trying to tell this story for eight-nine years and the intention always was to make a theatrical film. Today, making a film has become very difficult. If one is getting to tell a story, that is really good. I feel fortunate that Netflix bought into my vision. I am happy I am getting to tell it the way I want to. It is coming to life with actors which I never thought in my wildest dreams would be in a film I would get to direct. We shot it in a record 30 days. I am getting to show Ikka in 190 countries, which wouldn’t have been possible with a theatrical release.
Why are you looking forward to Ikka? Tell t2@abp.in
