After the muted, controversy-laden release of Maharaj (2024), director Siddharth P Malhotra has come up with another riveting courtroom-drama Ikka. This time, he has two aces in the hole: Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna. The Gadar and Dhurandhar stars in the same frame seems to be a sure-shot pull for viewers. We speak to Siddharth about what it took to get them on-board, for the first time since Border (1997); did he ever consider going the theatrical route, how the success of Main Vaapas Aaunga gave him hope, and more.
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Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna is a dream cast for any filmmaker. Was it easy or difficult to get them together?
I had narrated this film to Sunny sir about a year ago when he was shooting for Batwara 1947. He had liked it then but the thing with this film is that I had narrated it to everybody but something or the other kept delaying it. The producers loved it but there was too much back and forth about the cast. It got approved when Dhurandhar was being shot. I have been an Akshaye Khanna fan for a long time and have been trying to work with him for all the shows that I have produced. Even for Dial 100, we went to Akshaye first for the character which was ultimately played by Manoj Bajpayee. I also approached him for the series Bestseller. Netflix wasn’t sure if Akshaye would agree to it but I was like let’s go, worst he will say no.
Akshaye is a famous recluse. Is he a tough man to reach?
Actually not. Everytime, I have messaged him, I have gotten a response immediately. He doesn’t do interviews or promotional stuff but if you want to talk about work, he will get back to you. See, with Akshaye, he doesn’t mince words like most actors or their managers. He is very direct and honest. He is not a complicated guy.
Apart from their acting prowess, what else do Sunny and Akshaye bring to the table?
One is of course their theatrical, larger-than-life image with Gadar and Dhurandhar. Also, when you are doing a courtroom drama, which also revolves around relationships and dilemmas, it is all about actors making their characters come alive. For his character, Akshaye could have gone full villain on it very easily. But the beauty is to make it human and that only an actor like him, who understands all these layers very well, could do it. Similarly, Sunny sir is a very emotional man. So, till he does not feel the scene and understand the motivation of his line he won’t go ahead. But after that he takes the line and makes it his own. Both have different processes but their developed screen images also bring a lot to the roles.
How much was playing on the Damini (1993) nostalgia, a factor in getting Sunny back into a lawyer’s robes?
I mean you have to cater to a Sunny Deol audience (laughs). But still here I feel you also get a Sunny Deol you have seen in films like Ghayal and Ghatak. This character explores the vulnerable side of him. In Damini, he is fighting for a bigger cause, so you can do a ‘tariq pe tariq’ and all that. But here you can't since he is fighting a case he would otherwise never fight.
You had two bankable actors, was there ever a consideration of going for a theatrical first?
See, I have been trying to get this film greenlit for about 7-8 years and OTT was not even in the picture then. I actually believe it is a privilege to make a film today because either movies are not getting made or those actually releasing are not working. So, if anybody asks ‘why didn’t it come in theatres?’, I am like ‘be glad atleast it saw a release’.
The big screen business seems to have become more difficult…
Yes, absolutely. Maybe for Ikka it wouldn’t have been that much given the cast. But yes, going a theatrical route means ensuring various other things. There are satellite rights, digital rights, music rights, the works. Even if you have worked very hard on writing a film, the script does not matter because your film will not be made till it is sold. It is eventually an actor and a sales driven industry. It is not only about passion and creativity.
Does the genre of the film you are making play a part in whether it will get a theatrical release?
It does play a part. Some genres like horror-comedies, horror, and action, always work. Then there are the summer blockbusters, the spectacle films, and the franchise films. Having said that, there are a lot of genre films which have come out and have not done well because at the end of the day they were just bad films. So eventually I would believe as a producer, a director or a storyteller, first make a good film.
Talking about good films, does the success of movies like Main Vaapas Aaunga give you hope?
Yes. You feel so happy. Unfortunately, we are in an industry where everybody wishes everybody ill. Nobody wants anybody’s film to do well. I don't understand it. What will you gain by wanting bad for somebody? You do your work well. For me, every kind of film should work, that gives both hope and opportunities to other makers and producers.
What is the status of your Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari biopic?
We are done with the script but now it is the same thing, who will be the cast? How much will satellite give? How much will digital give? It doesn’t matter if you are a small director or a big one, everytime you get down to make a film, you have to go through the same circus all over again.
