Filmmaker Siddharth P. Malhotra, who is directing the upcoming courtroom drama Ikka, has offered a revealing look at Sunny Deol's acting process — describing him as a deeply emotional performer whose eyes communicate as powerfully as his words. Malhotra's comments come ahead of the film's Netflix premiere on 10 July, where Deol and Akshaye Khanna share the screen for the first time since the 1999 war drama Border.

How Sunny Deol Approaches a Scene

Malhotra was emphatic that Deol's reputation for thunderous dialogue delivery is only one dimension of his craft. 'Sunny, sir, is an extremely emotional actor. Many people know him for his dialogue delivery, but his eyes communicate just as much as his words. He absorbs the essence of a scene, understands the emotion behind it, and then makes the dialogue his own. He wants to feel every line before delivering it,' the director said.

This method-like immersion, Malhotra suggested, is what separates Deol from performers who treat lines as text rather than lived experience. Notably, Deol's most iconic screen moments — from Ghatak to Gadar — have consistently carried an emotional charge that goes beyond volume or physicality.

Akshaye Khanna: Precision Over Immersion

Malhotra drew a sharp contrast between his two leads. 'Akshaye, on the other hand, is a very internal actor. He processes everything mentally, understands exactly what the filmmaker wants, and then delivers it with remarkable precision. He is so accomplished that often a single take is enough,' he said.

The director noted that both actors come from 'completely different acting schools,' and argued that this divergence makes their on-screen dynamic particularly compelling — especially within the adversarial architecture of a courtroom drama.

What Ikka Is About

In Ikka, Sunny Deol plays a well-known and principled lawyer, while Akshaye Khanna portrays a man accused of murder — someone whose life and career were once derailed by Deol's character. The setup places them on opposite sides of a courtroom, a natural pressure cooker for two actors with contrasting but equally intense styles.

The film is backed by Alchemy Films and also features Sanjeeda Shaikh, Shishir Sharma, and Akansha Ranjan Kapoor in significant roles.

A Reunion 25 Years in the Making

The Deol-Khanna pairing carries its own nostalgic weight. Their last shared screen credit was Border (1999), J.P. Dutta's landmark war film that remains one of Hindi cinema's most-watched patriotic dramas. A 25-year gap between collaborations inevitably raises the stakes — and audience curiosity — for Ikka.

With the film set to stream on Netflix from 10 July, all eyes will be on whether the chemistry between two very different acting temperaments translates into the courtroom confrontation that Malhotra is clearly banking on.