The highly anticipated courtroom thriller Ikka is set to make its digital premiere on Netflix tomorrow, July 10, 2026. Directed by Siddharth P. Malhotra, the film marks a monumental cinematic reunion, bringing together powerhouse ’90s icons Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna 29 years after their legendary collaboration in the patriotic epic Border (1997).
In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Malhotra opened up about the immense box office expectations trailing Akshaye Khanna, his collaborative dynamic with Sunny Deol, and how the production deliberately grounded itself in realism over typical cinematic melodrama.
1. Akshaye Khanna on the Dhurandhar Comparisons: “An Anomaly”
Ikka marks Akshaye Khanna’s immediate next release following his massive, widely acclaimed performance as the terrifying Karachi crime lord Rehman Dakait in Aditya Dhar’s blockbuster Dhurandhar last year.
Addressing the massive hype and public mania that has followed Khanna since that role, director Malhotra revealed that it was actually Khanna who helped ease the pressure on set:
“We were shooting when Dhurandhar released… And he himself said, ‘This is an anomaly, guy.’ He said, ‘Sid, come on. People have loved me. I’m very happy, I’m very grateful. But don’t take it because it’ll be stupid for you to compare. You make your film the way you want to make it… I can’t start growling. I can’t start doing something which is not the character of the film.'”
Malhotra heavily praised Khanna’s refreshing professionalism, noting that unlike many actors of the newer generation, Khanna remains remarkably sorted—reading scripts within days, giving immediate definitive answers, and replying to messages within 20 minutes.
2. A “Broken” Sunny Deol: Subverting Expectations
Sunny Deol portrays Arjun Mehra, an incorruptible, highly principled veteran lawyer whose life takes a sharp turn when he is legally arm-twisted into defending a ruthless former rival accused of a high-profile murder: Shauryamnn Gaur (played by Akshaye Khanna).
Fans expecting the trademark, high-decibel roaring from the Gadar 2 star will experience a drastically different performance. Malhotra emphasized that the narrative leans into psychological conflict rather than raw muscle:
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Emotional Depth: “You’ll see a broken Sunny Deol. A man who steers down. The shouting you see in the trailer occurs only twice. There’s almost no shouting in the film.”
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The Master-Prodigy Twist: The emotional weight is heightened by a shared history—Khanna’s character was once a legal prodigy working directly under Deol’s character before turning into his bitter ideological rival.
3. A Courtroom Drama Bound by Real Law
While Indian cinema frequently exaggerates legal proceedings, Malhotra emphasized that Ikka treats the legal system with complete authenticity to heighten the tension of its central mystery.
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Legally Vetted: The entire script was rigorously checked by a panel of real-world lawyers to ensure absolute plausibility.
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Legitimate Twists: Every twist, turn in witness testimony, and piece of aggressive cross-examination is strictly grounded in actual legal procedures, transforming the courtroom into a high-stakes, nail-biting chess match.
Co-starring Diya Mirza and Tilotama Shome, the intense battle of wits and principles in Ikka will be available for streaming globally on Netflix starting July 10, 2026.
