Siddharth P Malhotra Ikka Interview: "Challenge Was To Avoid Being Enamoured By Sunny Deol-Akshaye Khanna's Star Power"

Actors Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna reunite nearly three decades after the 1997 film Border for the upcoming Netflix courtroom drama Ikka.

Directed and produced by Siddharth P Malhotra, the project marks his first venture into the courtroom thriller. Deol stars as the upright lawyer Arjun Mehra, while Khanna portrays Shauryaman Gaur, his past rival and a murder accused.

The ensemble also features a supporting female cast including Dia Mirza, Tillotama Shome, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor and Jyoti Mukerji.

Siddharth P Malhotra expands his directorial repertoire with Ikka

Siddharth, who is a fan of courtroom dramas, always looks for stories that challenge him emotionally and creatively. He felt a creative drive to challenge himself by tackling a murder mystery and courtroom drama, genres he had not previously explored.

The concept arrived years ago, much before Malhotra directed his 2018 film Hichki.

“This is a story I have always believed in. It was brought to me by the film's writer, Althea (Kaushal), and I knew it had incredible potential to showcase emotionally challenged characters. I was certain we could draw out vulnerable, powerful performances by placing them in compelling situations where they are forced to do things they normally wouldn't,” he said. “For me, as a filmmaker, this genre is the perfect challenge to make it commercial and credible at the same time and that resonates with me as a filmmaker.”

Casting two icons

Sunny was always the first choice, and so was Akshaye. Deol asked Malhotra who he envisioned as Shauryaman Gaur, prompting the director to suggest Khanna.

Khanna subsequently read the script and agreed to join the film in exactly two hours.

“I am a huge fan of Sunny Deol and haven’t seen him after Damini (1993) as a lawyer. When Netflix greenlit the project and Sunny Sir asked who I envisioned as Shauryaman Gaur, I said, 'Sir, I only see Akshaye Khanna.' That time, of course, Dhurandhar had not come. None of this happened. Everyone was sceptical, wondering if Akshaye would agree. However, I knew the script and the character were incredibly compelling, so we decided to go ahead and narrate it to him. Akshaye read the script and gave his nod within just two hours,” Malhotra said on casting the compelling stars.

Balancing expectations and vision

“Expectations are incredibly high, and I truly hope audiences get all of that, because we poured our absolute best into this film. Bringing this story to life has been a dream come true. When you have two legendary actors like Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna on screen, witnessing the characters you’ve envisioned for years finally come alive is completely surreal. As a director, the ultimate challenge is to ensure that you don't get so enamoured by their personality or star power that you forget who they are on screen,” Malhotra said on directing the leads. “In the end, you have to remember that both Arjun Mehra and Shauryaman Gaur are going through their personal dilemmas. At the same time, you can't disappoint their fans and compromise your creative voice as a filmmaker.”

“When you’ve carried a story in your heart for so many years, you owe it to yourself to tell it exactly the way you envisioned it. But at the same time, you must respect the actors and their fans. Striking that balance is everything—making the movie you want to make, while ensuring the characters and the fans get the absolute respect they deserve,” the Maharaj director said further.

Produced by Alchemy Films, Ikka will start streaming from July 10.