Sunny Deol Became The Cinematic Face Of The Indian Legal System With Damini In The 90s; Now, 23 Years Later, He's Back With Ikka
· Free Press Journal
When the first announcement was made regarding a courtroom drama movie starring Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna, the first question that came to my mind was: which director has managed this casting coup? The answer was Siddharth P. Malhotra, someone who had come over to The Free Press Journal’s studio to shoot for The Celebpreneurs Podcast some time back. Malhotra’s last outing was Maharaj (2024), Junaid Khan’s debut film. He is also known for the Rani Mukerji-starrer Hichki (2018) and the serials Sanjeevani (2002–2005) and Dill Mill Gayye (2007–2010), both medical dramas.
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One could also say that it’s fitting that his next, Ikka, starring Deol and Khanna, is a courtroom drama because, even in his real life, especially during Maharaj, he had his fair share of legal issues, with the Gujarat High Court temporarily staying its release. But that tareek of its release finally came, just like 23 years later, Deol returns as a lawyer onscreen, a role he became known for in Damini (1993). His ‘tareek pe tareek’ is one of the most iconic lines, and meme-worthy too. Damini is about Meenakshi Seshadri (as Damini), who witnesses her housemaid being raped by her brother-in-law and his friends. In her fight for justice, she gets help from an alcoholic lawyer, played by Deol, and her husband, played by Rishi Kapoor, with Amrish Puri as the rival lawyer. Apart from winning several awards, the film is considered one of the best female-oriented films, while also handling the subject of rape with sensitivity, something not associated with Bollywood at that time.
In Ikka, which saw its trailer launch on Monday evening, where The Free Press Journal was present, Deol is a celebrated lawyer known for his unwavering principles and belief in justice. However, in a high-profile attempted murder case, he has to defend Akshaye Khanna’s character, putting everything he stands for to the test. While Tillotama Shome plays the determined public prosecutor standing up against him, Dia Mirza plays Deol’s wife. The movie showcases tense courtroom confrontations, relationships being put to the test, moral dilemmas and, of course, the whodunit factor. With Deol hitting Khanna, and Dia slapping him in the trailer, this reporter cheekily asked both of them how many “takes” those scenes took. While Deol replied with a safe answer, Dia playfully said that Khanna “doesn’t do retakes.”
Akshaye Khanna was the only one from the main cast who couldn’t join the trailer launch in person, maintaining his reputation for always playing it low-key. However, it was all presented in a very smart manner. The emcee, Mantra, announced that Khanna had a special voice message for the media and fans: “Kuch mulaqatein stage par nahi ho sakti. Agar ho gayi, to zalzalaa aa sakta hai! Isiliye ‘Ikka’ aur main ab sirf Netflix ki screen par milenge, 10 July ko. Taiyaar rehna.” Good work, whoever thought of this!
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Ikka also marks Deol reuniting with Khanna almost three decades after they were seen together in Border (1997). While Deol mentioned that Damini 2 had failed despite several efforts, his angry outbursts from the original shall surely return in Ikka, as seen in the trailer. Whether the intensity of a legal battle is maintained is something we shall get to know very soon. No more waiting for ‘tareek pe tareek.’