After delivering credible films like Hichki and Maharaj, director Siddharth P. Malhotra returns with Ikka, a gripping courtroom drama that reunites Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna on screen after 29 years. In an exclusive conversation with Filmfare, the filmmaker opened up about the long journey of bringing Ikka to life, casting the two stars and the struggles that shaped his career.
Director Siddharth P. Malhotra revealed that Ikka was in the making for nearly a decade. He shared, “I had been trying to make the film ever since directing We Are Family (2010), but despite years of effort, the project repeatedly failed to take off. The film’s writer, Althea Kaushal, would often tell me to give up, saying there was no point in repeatedly hoping the film would get made only to see it fall through.” He further added, “During the development process, the script underwent several changes, including an attempt to rewrite the protagonist as a female character, but eventually the story worked best with a male lead.”
Hichki director Siddharth said he had always wanted Sunny Deol in the role from the very beginning. Talking about casting Akshaye Khanna, Siddharth revealed, “I wanted to work with Akshayer for the last four to five years and had even tried casting him opposite Shruti Haasan in Bestseller, but the collaboration never materialised.”
While talking about Akshaye, the director said, “The decision to cast Akshaye Khanna came before Dhurandhar was released. Every time I’ve reached out to Akshaye, he’s responded promptly and clearly. Whether his answer is yes or no, he’ll tell you upfront. He doesn’t keep you waiting. That’s quite rare in this industry, where it’s often difficult even to get through to an actor’s manager, actor’s toh chhod hi do.” He praised the Dhurandhar actor saying, “ Akshaye is one of those actors who will always acknowledge you and give you a clear response. He won’t waste your time.” He further added, “ I’ve always believed that you should approach the person who’s best suited for the role. So I approached Akshaye with the script. He loved it, and within a week, we had finalised his fee and signed the contract. We began shooting in November last year and completed the film in December.”
Speaking about reuniting Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna after 29 years of Border, Siddharth said he did not have to make any special effort to build their on-screen chemistry. He said, “The two actors already shared mutual respect and familiarity, which naturally reflected in their performances. As someone who comes from a film family, Siddharth said he grew up believing that respecting seniors is an integral part of the industry’s culture, especially among actors from the 1990s generation.”
The filmmaker also compared them with the stars of the recent times. The maker of Ikka said, “neither Sunny nor Akshaye relies on entourages, large PR teams or managers to make creative decisions. Instead, they spend time with the crew, interact with everyone on set and approach filmmaking with humility.” Siddharth describes them as director’s actors. He further said, “They want to understand the director’s vision, what drives the story and whether the film is being made purely for commercial reasons or to create something meaningful. Before every scene, they would sit together, rehearse, discuss their performances and fine-tune their approach. Siddharth said the most remarkable aspect of working with them was their professionalism, revealing that throughout the shoot, most of their scenes were completed in just one or two takes.”
Ikka is a Hindi courtroom thriller directed by Siddharth P. Malhotra. The film stars Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna, Tillotama Shome, Dia Mirza, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor and Shishir Sharma in pivotal roles.The movie will premiere on OTT, marking Sunny Deol’s OTT debut and bringing his on-screen reunion with Akshaye Khanna to streaming audiences .
Also Read: Ikka Movie Review: Sunny Deol at His Restrained Best