Sunny Deol i Akshaye Khanna are all set and ready to return to the small screen along with ‘Ikka’ which is releasing soon. The pairing has become one of the most anticipated of late. During one of his last interviews, the director of the film, Siddharth P Malhotraweighed in on the project, how he did the casting and more.
Siddharth P. Malhotra Talks About ‘Ikka’
While talking to India Today, the celebrated director, who is also known for his work in ‘Kaafir’, ‘Tribhanga’ and ‘Maharaj’ to name a few, shared some insights about his next project, ‘Ikka’. He shared during the interview that one of the easiest parts of the film was assembling the cast. Apart from Khanna and Deol, the film also features Dia Mirza and Tillotama Shome tooHe shared, “Actually, casting was the easiest part. Whoever I approached for this film said yes the first time. To say it was difficult would actually be a lie. It’s the power of the script. The script was so good. Luckily, they’d seen Maharaj. They’d seen my work before. They’d known me because of my father, my grandfather. And as a filmmaker, and they loved the script, so everyone was on board immediately.”He also added that one of the most important things he kept in mind on set was the fact that everyone should have some form of mutual respect for each other. He added, “The one thing nobody is prepared for is that every actor comes with their own personality and their own life. This is not just Sunny Deol or Akshaye Khanna. This is everyone who walks into a set.”
Siddharth P Malhotra details his experience working with a great cast in the film
He also added that he loved working with veteran actors and that there was nothing that needed to be changed during filming. He mentioned that “There are no other drawbacks. I would only work with actors of this generation. I have worked with RaniKajol and Kareena, they are the best people to work with.”He also revealed that many veteran actors now avoid working with a lot of people at once and were able to blend in properly with the film. He also added, “They’re sitting with you, bonding with you, discussing scenes and talking about life,” he said. They give you what you need in one or two shots. You don’t spend hours shooting. They are thorough professionals because they have been around longer than you might imagine.“As for how he kept things in a flow, the director shared that he used to edit scenes regularly. He shared during the interview that after shooting all the necessary shots for the day, the director would edit them and show them to all the people who were present. He also concluded that: “What happened was that they trusted me. There were no fireworks. They did exactly what I required because they knew where the film was going.“All set and ready to release on July 10, 2026, ‘Ikka’ follows a famous lawyer who is blackmailed into representing a criminal in court. Challenged to save everything he’s about to lose, the lawyer does everything in his power to overcome the challenge before time runs out.