Ikkis marks Dharmendra’s swansong. The film was directed by Sriram Raghavan. Agastya Nanda played Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, the son of Dharmendra’s character, Brigadier M. L. Khetarpal.
Recently, in an interview with a news portal, the film’s writers, Pooja Ladha Surti and Arijit Biswas, spoke about a specific scene in the film that was improvised by Dharmendra.
In the film, there is a scene where Deepak Dobriyal’s character, a Pakistani officer, becomes furious when he sees Madan Lal (played by Dharmendra) and starts shouting at him, but Madan Lal calmly reacts by giving him a hug.
Biswas told Screen, “That was again entirely Dharam Ji’s idea. Sriram called me and said, “Dharam Ji has this idea, he wants to hug this Pakistani soldier, what if the character comes at him aggressively?” I thought it was superb. We fleshed out the scene, but the core, the hug breaking the hatred, was his. Deepak was also wonderful; the moment works because of how Dharam ji envelopes him in that hug.”
Why Ikkis’s Team Was Not Fully Sure About Dharmendra’s Casting
Speaking about the same scene, Surti said, “That hug is entirely Dharam Ji’s. The sheer beauty of Urdu in his voice, the humanity, it’s unmatched.”
The writer revealed that the Ikkis team ‘had a bit of a debate’ regarding Dharmendra’s casting in the film. Revealing why, Surti said, “Internally, we had a bit of a debate about casting him; some felt he was no longer relevant. But Sriram was sure it had to be him. All three of us were sure it had to be him. We have been his fans all along, and it’s sad that he is no longer with us.”
Surti added, “But the passion he had for his work, the fact that he used to write all the dialogues, including those of other actors in Urdu, and even be on set for filler shots, is something I’ll never forget. In fact, I remember the zeal he had; it’s something even the younger lot doesn’t possess. I vividly remember when he heard the script, he said, “This is me. How can anyone else do this?” He was so happy and even told Sriram that if, for any reason, he couldn’t do it, the story must still be made, it’s too important to not be told in these times.”
Besides Agastya Nanda and Dharmendra, Ikkis features Jaideep Ahlawat, Simar Bhatia, Sikandar Kher and Vivaan Shah in important roles.