Sunny Deol in ‘Ikka’
| Photo Credit: Netflix
Packaged as a modern, gritty OTT thriller, Ikka leans heavily on the core DNA of commercial Hindi cinema, a formula that has increasingly been reduced to mere nostalgia. Fuelled by the star-versus-star dynamic, its narrative weight rests on the explosive chemistry between Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna. Physical dominance and moral integrity meet cold stillness and sharp smirks as Netflix, perhaps, wants to test and capture the appetite of a massive, single-screen mass audience. As a result, the recent box office success of Sunny and Akshaye seems to have prompted the makers to dress up a decade-old story to add a new section to the OTT library.At its heart is Arjun Mehra (Sunny Deol), a towering, righteous defence lawyer who is forced into a moral trap when circumstances force him to defend a murder suspect, Shauryamann (Akshaye Khanna). Known to fight for what is right, Arjun’s gut feeling and past experience tell him that Shauryamann is in the wrong, but to save what is precious to him and his wife, Avantika (Dia Mirza), he needs to compromise on his values.Ikka (Hindi)Director: Siddharth P MalhotraDuration: 140 minutesCast: Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna, Tillotama Shome, Dia Mirza, Akanksha RanjanSynopsis: The courtroom drama follows an incorruptible, celebrated defence lawyer forced into a dangerous moral trap.For a change, the courtroom drama forces a usually combative Sunny into a tight moral corner, with possibilities of exploring internal panic, doubt, and helplessness that his fans of yore can relate to. Early in the film, when Arjun says he wants butter chicken but his daughter roots for Sushi, one feels Sunny has got a slightly new recipe to work with.
