Sriram Raghavan’s Ikkis will feature Dharmendra’s final on-screen appearance and last dance in a qawwali. Choreographer Vijay Ganguly recalls the veteran actor being energetic and shooting till 4 am, calling the experience unforgettable
Dharmendra in the song that was shot in May 2024
When Ikkis opens on January 1, it will, among other things, remind us of what Hindi cinema lost in 2025. Sriram Raghavan’s directorial venture, led by Agastya Nanda, will mark the final on-screen appearance of Dharmendra, who passed away on November 24. In the swansong, we’ll also see the superstar’s last dance, in a qawwali track.
(Left) Dharmendra with Vijay Ganguly (extreme right) during the shoot
Featuring Dharmendra and Jaideep Ahlawat, the song was shot in Pune in May 2024. It apparently sees the veteran actor’s character going to his college reunion. A source from the unit said, “Initially, it plays in the background as Dharmendra’s character catches up with his friends. Then it moves to the foreground as his friends get him to the dance floor and he shakes a leg. It’s a fantastic moment! While the college is shown to be in Lahore in the narrative, producer Dinesh Vijan and Sriram filmed it in a Pune college.”
Agastya Nanda leads the January 1 release
In Ikkis, Dharmendra portrayed the father of Nanda’s character, Param Vir Chakra awardee Arun Khetarpal. Working with him on the number was a moment of pride for choreographer Vijay Ganguly. Remembering the 89-year-old actor as being “full of life”, Ganguly told mid-day, “Shooting with Dharmendra was amazing as he was vibrant and full of life. He was awake till we completed the song at 4 am.”
What made the collaboration sweeter was the fact that their association went way back. The choreographer, who has designed two songs in the biopic, 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 [1991]. During the shoot, he remembered my father fondly. He told me he was a kind man and that he enjoyed working with him.”
Sriram Raghavan. Pic/Yogen Shah
‘Ikkis’ was Dharmendra’s second collaboration with Sriram Raghavan. The superstar had also featured in the director’s ‘Johnny Gaddaar’ (2007)
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