Choregrapher Vijay Ganguly recalled Dharmendra's dance in his last film Ikkis (Photo: Instagram/Varinder Chawla)
Sriram Raghavan’s Ikkis marks the final on-screen appearance of late actor Dharmendra. After the veteran star’s death last month, fans have been waiting for the release of his last film. Now, in a new interview, choreographer Vijay Ganguly, who worked on Ikkis, opened up about his experience of working with Dharmendra, and shared that despite his old age, the star stayed up till 4 am to finish all his work.
In the movie, Dharmendra can be seen playing the role of Arun Khetarpal’s father During a conversation with Mid-Day, he shared his experience as a “moment of pride” and called the 89-year-old “full of life.” “Shooting with Dharmendra was amazing as he was vibrant and full of life. He was awake till we completed the song at 4 am,” he revealed.
The choreographer, who has worked on two tracks in the film, further added, “It was a moment of nostalgia for both of us. Dharamji had done a film earlier with my father (filmmaker Anil Ganguly) called Dushman Devta. During the shoot, he remembered my father fondly. He told me he was a kind man and that he enjoyed working with him.”
Previously, in a chat with Galatta India, Sriram Raghavan shared that Dharmendra was having a tough time while dubbing for the film. He said, “I could see that he was having a tough time dubbing. I told him to get better soon. We had finished our work with him, I thought I would show him the entire film in a month. That is a big regret. He was really looking forward to watching the film. It’s like when 1942: A Love Story happened, RD Burman wasn’t there to get the accolades.”
Directed by Sriram Raghavan and presented by Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films, Ikkis was originally scheduled to hit the theatres on December 5. But, the release date has been pushed to January 1, 2026. It will now avoid fight for screens with Ranveer Singh starrer Dhurandhar and James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash. The film is based on the Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal — India’s youngest Param Vir Chakra awardee.
Veteran actor Dharmendra passed away on November 24 in Mumbai.
