Dharmendra Had A 'Tough Time' Dubbing For Ikkis, Says Director Sriram Raghavan

Ikkis: Dharmendra's death on November 24 has left a void in the film industry that will never be filled. The veteran star had reduced his film appearances significantly over the past few years. However, whenever he appeared on the screen, it lit up. His unmatched charisma were on full display in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya. Posthumously, he will be seen in Sriram Raghavan's Ikkis.

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The movie is based on the life, valour and sacrifice of India's youngest Param Vir Chakra awardee Arun Khetarpal. The period war drama was initially planned with Varun Dhawan in the lead role but since the project could not go on the floors in time, Varun backed out. Amitabh Bachchan's grandson Agastya Nanda will be seen as Arun Khetarpal in Ikkis and Dharmendra will essay his onscreen father. Director Sriram Raghavan shared how the now late octogenarian faced difficulty in dubbing for the movie. Sriram also revealed that Dharmendra watched parts of the film while it was being completed and shared his honest review of it with the team.

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"We had some dubbing with him in October. Before that also, he used to keep asking about how the movie was shaping up and when I would show it to him. I told him he could watch it before the dubbing, but he had some work, so he asked to watch it on another day. But, he saw around 50-70% of the film, he sort of liked it,” Sriram told Galatta Plus about Dharmendra's desire and keenness to watch Ikkis.

The director further shared, “At that time, 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.” The movie will release on December 25.