Ikkis: Asrani shares one of his last screen appearances with Dharmendra, Sriram Raghavan pays a special tribute

Asrani makes a cameo appearance in Ikkis, sharing screen space with Dharmendra.

Asrani left the world late last year, in October, and his absence is one that will be felt for a long time to come. Most popularly remembered as the iconic “Angrezon ke zamaane ka jailer” from Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay, Asrani’s career stretched across nearly six decades, during which he appeared in an astonishing range of films and roles. While Sholay cemented his place in popular culture, some of his finest and most nuanced work came under the direction of filmmakers like Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee, who understood his rare ability to balance humour with humanity.

The veteran comedian, who would have turned 85 this Thursday, also appears posthumously in Sriram Raghavan’s war drama Ikkis, which released in theatres today. One of his final screen appearances, the film carries a sense of farewell, made all the more poignant by the fact that Raghavan, a self-confessed cinephile raised on the grammar and spirit of Bombay cinema, chooses to honour Asrani right at the very beginning of the film.

The war drama, which also stars Agastya Nanda and Jaideep Ahlawat and is set against the backdrop of the 1971 Indo-Pak war, starts with a tribute to Asrani in its opening credits. Against a black screen appears a still of the actor in his iconic jailer avatar from Sholay, smiling directly at the audience. The caption that accompanies the image reads: “We will forever be your prisoners.”

The tribute in the opening credits of Ikkis features a still of Asrani from Sholay.

The film becomes especially poignant when Asrani shares the screen with the late legendary Dharmendra, who passed away exactly a month after him, making Ikkis his own swan song. (The opening credits also carry a tribute to him). Just before the interval, the film pauses for a devastating exchange between the characters played by the two legends. Asrani appears in a brief cameo as a Pakistani resident suffering from Alzheimer’s, while Dharmendra plays an Indian war veteran. Their conversation turns to undivided India, childhood friendships, and the life they once shared before Partition tore them apart.

Tragically, Asrani’s character cannot remember who Dharmendra is, nor can he fully comprehend that Partition ever happened, as he battles Alzheimer’s. Indeed, there could be no more fitting way to begin 2026 than watching two giants of Indian cinema reflect, on what we once were, while also questioning the trauma, violence and divisions that have followed since.