- Sunny Deol lost his father, Dharmendra, in November 2025 at age 89
- Sunny Deol completed the final schedule of Ikka despite his father's death
- Ikka, directed by Siddharth P Malhotra, was released on Netflix
Sunny Deol lost his father, actor Dharmendra, last year. The veteran star died in November 2025 after battling age-related health issues. He was 89.
Even during that difficult phase, Sunny Deol continued to remain committed to his work. Actor Sanjeeda Shaikh, who worked with him in Ikka, recalled how he completed the film's final schedule despite losing his father.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Sanjeeda said, “I remember Sunny sir coming for the shoot. Dharam sir had just passed. And I would say kya professionalism hai yaar! Iss level pe aa ke toh bol bhi sakte hain na ki ‘Yaar ek hafta, das din shoot band rakho, main nahi aata aaj set par kyunki I don't feel like shooting.' (At his level, he could have said, ‘Please keep the shoot closed for a week or ten days, I'm not coming to the set today because I don't feel like shooting.)”
She added, “But no, that man used to come to the set, do his work, and leave. Toh bahut kuch seekhne ko milta hai (I learnt a lot from him).”
Ikka, directed by Siddharth P Malhotra, was released in July on Netflix.
The film stars Sunny Deol as Arjun Mehra, Akshaye Khanna as Shauryaman Gaur, Dia Mirza as Avantika Mehra, Tillotama Shome as Madhura Banerjee and Sanjeeda Sheikh as Gauri Gaur.
Sunny Deol will next be seen in Batwara 1947. Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, the period drama is set against the backdrop of India's Partition and explores the pain, loss and human emotions of that time.
The project also features Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol and Ali Fazal in key roles. Bankrolled by Aamir Khan Productions, the movie will hit the big screens on August 14.