- Akshaye Khanna and Sunny Deol reunite after 29 years in the courtroom drama Ikka
- Ikka is Akshaye Khanna's first project after his hit film Dhurandhar
- Director Siddharth P Malhotra says Akshaye advised not to compare Ikka with Dhurandhar
Courtroom dramas are, by nature, intense affairs. What makes Siddharth P Malhotra's upcoming film Ikka especially exciting is the reunion of '90s heroes Akshaye Khanna and Sunny Deol, 29 years after their patriotic drama Border.
But the buzz around Ikka isn't only that it's another dramatic legal battle with a sterling ensemble cast. There's also chatter because this is Akshaye Khanna's first project after the banging succes he enjoyed with the release of Dhurandhar last year.
Akshaye Khanna, the 'reclusive' star, remained largely in the shadows after social media erupted over his commendable performance as the menacing Karachi crime lord Rehman Dakait in Dhurandhar. It's almost been seven months since the digital world was swept by the Akshaye Khanna mania, but he has been filming other projects and moving on.
In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Ikka director Siddharth P Malhotra raves about the camaraderie between Akshaye Khanna and Sunny Deol. Most importantly, he is candid about the pressure of living up to the expectations of eagle-eyed viewers who want to know what the Dhurandhar star has up his sleeve this time.
Why Akshaye Khanna Believes It Would Be 'Stupid' To Compare Every Project To Dhurandhar
The pressure can be palpable, especially when one is up against a juggernaut like Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar. Its roaring box office performance has made it the benchmark for a film's success and acceptance.
So was there pressure to begin with?
Siddharth P. Malhotra says Akshaye Khanna expressed gratitude for the love he received, but advised the filmmaker why it would be "stupid" to compare how Ikka fares to Dhurandhar.
The director recalls, "Actually Akshaye was the one who told me, 'don't take it (the comparisons.' While Ikka was happening, Dhurandhar released. We were shooting when Dhurandhar released and when Dhurandhar was being shot. So we've seen both phases. And he himself said, this is an anomaly, guy. He said, 'Sid, come on. I mean, people have loved me. I'm very happy. I'm very grateful. But don't take it because you can't, it'll be stupid for you to compare. It'll be stupid. So you make your film the way you want to make it. And I add, this is my face. However, I'm going to walk. This is how I'm going to act. So you can't change my face. I can't start growling. I can't start doing something which is not the character of the film. This is the character and he's playing his interpretation of the character.'"
The director reiterates that we will see a side of Sunny Deol that is emotionally battered, and it is indeed applaudable.
"You'll see a broken Sunny Deol. A man who steers down. The shouting you see in the trailer occurs only twice. There's almost no shouting in the film."
When Sunny Deol Asked, "Akshaye Karega?"
Siddharth P Malhotra recalls how Sunny Deol asked him if Akshaye Khanna would do the film.
When asked why the Gadar 2 star might have had reservations, the director says the question arose because it is a two-hero film.
"It's a two-hero film. It's not a single-hero film. And Akshaye has been doing single-hero films. But Akshaye is also known to choose scripts he truly believes in. Even if it's an ensemble film, he wants to be part of a story that needs to be told or one he would want to watch. That's what I've understood about him."
No One But Sunny Deol And Akshaye Khanna
Sunny Deol plays the incorruptible lawyer Arjun Mehra, steadfast in his principles. Fate intervenes when he is arm-twisted into defending a former rival and the accused in a high-profile murder case, Shauryamnn Gaur, who is diametrically opposite to him. Thus begins a legal and personal battle that spirals into a complicated dynamic between the two.
Siddharth P Malhotra reiterates that casting Sunny Deol for the role was unanimous. The question was who would play the darker, layered antagonist.
"Sunny sir was unanimously Ikka for us from the time we wrote this film. You know, the question was, who's going to play Shauryamnn Gaur?" Malhotra says.
Having wanted to work with Akshaye Khanna for several years, the director explains how it hadn't worked out until Ikka.
"So Akshaye and I have been wanting to work for almost four or five years. I offered him a film I was producing. He liked it, then it didn't work out. Then I offered him a series I was producing. He didn't. The good thing with Akshaye is when you call him he will answer. If you send him a message you'll get a reply in the next 20 minutes; when you call him he will call you back. In today's times, you try to call an actor and they will not reply for two, three or four days-unless you're dealing with actors like Amitabh Bachchan who do reply. I'm talking about the newer generation; they will not."
Malhotra also praises Khanna's professionalism and genuineness, which he says drive the fire in a bona fide star like him.
"So here is a guy, Akshaye Khanna, a legit actor, a superstar who will reply to you and will read your script within a day or two if he has the time. And he will tell you yes or no right then and there. That gives you clarity about how simple and sorted he is, first of all."
The director recalls how Khanna zeroed in on Ikka within a week.
"When Ikka went to him, he read it in two days and said, 'Damn good script, let's do it.' And it was as simple as that. Literally, in one week, the film was locked with him," he adds,
What Makes Ikka Stand Apart
The cinematic landscape is saturated with courtroom dramas; what makes Ikka different?
Siddharth P Malhotra reveals that the script for the Netflix series was vetted by lawyers to ensure logic and plausibility.
"In a courtroom drama, you have to stay in a believable zone. We vetted the script through lawyers. Every beat in the film is legit. If you ask a lawyer and a lawyer watches the film, they'll say, 'Yeah, this is all right. Nothing is wrong.' Even the twists and turns in witness testimony and cross-examination are legitimate. So when you watch it, you'll think, 'Okay, these guys have done their homework and are presenting the case in the right manner.'"
Explaining why mystery is the core of this thrilling courtroom drama, Malhotra adds, "Ikka is actually this man's journey of having his past catch up with him. Akshay was a prodigy working under Sunny sir in the film, which you'll get to know. So there's the past, and now he has to defend a man he would never have defended. That personal journey is heavily at stake-not only for Sunny sir, but for Diya, for Tilotama, for Akshaye."
"So the film is much richer than just a courtroom drama. The courtroom is the device to keep you hooked and to deliver twists and turns where you're nailbiting and wondering what will happen. Is he going to be saved? Has he done it? Has he not? The what and how is the courtroom device. But if I don't make you root for Sunny sir at the start of the film, I've already lost you," he adds.
With that, he leaves us even more intrigued about this courtroom combat where personal struggles, laden with emotional stakes, trump the professional setting. There hasn't been much promotion with the actors, which leaves audiences wanting more. The only way to reach a conclusion is to stay tuned: Ikka begins streaming on Netflix from July 10.
