Director Siddharth P Malhotra on reuniting Sunny Deol and Akshay Khanna in 'Ikka', 30 years after 'Border': 'They were just the right actors for the story'

Filmmaker Siddharth P Malhotra’s ‘Ikka’ reunites Sunny Deol and Akshay Khanna after nearly 30 years since ‘Border’ (1997). Both the actors were his first choice and signed after liking the script. The Netflix courtroom drama, which explores moral dilemmas, streams from July 10

film maker Siddharth P Malhotra that reveals Sunny Deol And Akshay Khanna Courtroom thriller ‘Ikka’ was always his top choice. Deol agreed to join the project after the script won him over, while Khanna was so captivated by it that he finished reading it in one sitting before agreeing.

A reunion 30 years in the making, he says Siddhartha P Malhotra

Director Siddharth has pulled off a courtroom drama with Netflix’s ‘Ikka’, featuring two of Bollywood’s most powerful actors in a compelling story, bringing Sunny and Akshay together nearly 30 years after ‘Border’ (1997). The timing was also going well. Deol had just increased his fanbase with ‘Gadar 2: The Katha Continues’ (2023) and ‘Border 2’, while Khanna won everyone over with ‘Dhurandhar’ (2025). “They were the right actors for the story,” he shared.

Siddharth P Malhotra spoke to Deol a year and a half ago

Malhotra shared that he first spoke to Sunny Deol about a year and a half before the project materialized. As reported by Mid-Day, he said, “I told Sunny sir this is a script I want him to do and he liked it. [the platform] After hearing the script on board, I went back to him and he said, ‘Great, let’s do it’.” When it came to choosing the perfect opponent to face Deol in court, Malhotra didn’t have to think twice. “They asked me who I wanted for the opponent and I said Akshay Khanna,” he says.

Siddharth P Malhotra on the ambiguity of when is right and wrong in ‘Ikka’

In ‘Ikka’, Deol plays a respectable lawyer who finds himself in an uncomfortable position, defending the man he once helped put in jail. This moral tug-of-war is what drew Malhotra to the story in the first place. “The challenge of the script itself is the character’s moral dilemma. The lines between right and wrong and their point of view are blurring. That’s what makes it interesting for me as a storyteller.“

Siddharth P Malhotra on Sunny Deol breaking the good guy mold

Malhotra made a conscious choice to move away from Deol’s image as an untouchable good guy. “I saw him in Damini [1993]. Why should people give Damini again? It’s fun to see him be emotionally right even when he’s morally wrong,” he laughs.