Director Siddharth P Malhotra’s courtroom drama Ikka has sent excitement soaring among audiences for more reasons than one. That it is the first project in which Akshaye Khanna will be seen after the stupendous virality he experienced with Dhurandhar is one. But there’s more to it.
Akshaye Khanna and Sunny Deol, two ’90s heroes who have made a stellar comeback of sorts in the current cinematic landscape, are all set to reunite after 29 years in Netflix’s Ikka. Their last collaboration was in the 1997 film Border by JP Dutta.
In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Siddharth P Malhotra shares a rare incident from the Ikka sets, and how Akshaye Khanna showed immense respect for his co-star Sunny Deol.
How Akshaye Khanna Looks Up To Sunny Deol
Siddharth P Malhotra reiterates how the dynamic that Akshaye Khanna and Sunny Deol share is beautiful off camera too.
He says, “Akshaye Khanna also respects Sunny Sir and looks up to him. That is what I’ve seen with the ’90s kids. These guys have that sense of hierarchy and professionalism.”
Recalling a heartfelt moment on the Ikka set, the director shares, “On set the call time was given, Akshaye Khanna would say, ‘Let me walk in first, then call Sunny.’ He would say, ‘Don’t call him before you call; let me come to the set. Then you tell Sunny Sir to come. I don’t want him waiting for me.’ Now this shows character.”
On Akshaye Khanna And Sunny Deol Being Reclusive
That Akshaye Khanna stays away from the limelight and has mostly been reclusive is well known. While the internet erupted after his role as Rehman Dakait in Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, he remained largely absent online or otherwise.
Is the other ’90s superstar, Sunny Deol, the same?
Siddharth P Malhotra laughs and says, “Not Sunny Sir, exactly. Sunny Sir is lots of fun on the set. You will see some making-of material from Ikka which will be released later on. It’ll be snippets and you’ll see a very different Sunny Sir on the set. He is a family man. That set becomes his family. He’s the father figure of that set.”
“When he’s sitting, he’s sitting; he’s joking with you. He’s making the mood of the set interesting. Reclusive when it comes to-he’s very shy with women and people around. He’s very shy. He’s still very, very shy,” adds the director.
“So besides learning or working with him, I learned a lot seeing him go through tough times and coming out of that as a human being. And that’s when the real test of character comes through. So for me, I’ve seen a very different Sunny Sir, who’s not too reclusive. Actually, he spoke a lot to me,” he concluded.
About Ikka
Ikka is a courtroom drama that explores the struggle between professional responsibility and personal dynamics. Arjun Mehra, played by Sunny Deol, is an incorruptible defence lawyer.
Things get tense when he is forced to defend Shauryamann Gaur (Akshaye Khanna) – not only a murder suspect but also an ex-professional rival. And thus begins a battle for Mehra to wade through a web of ethical compromises.
Ikka will be streaming on Netflix from July 10.
ALSO READ | Dia Mirza Admits She’s Still Scared After Slapping Akshaye Khanna In Ikka. Sunny Deol’s Epic Reply
