Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna last worked together in Border, way back in 1997. Now they’re back on screen, but this time, the battle isn’t fought with guns; it’s fought with words, arguments, and courtroom drama. Deol plays a lawyer, something he hasn’t done since his famous role in Damini. Khanna, fresh off a big career comeback, plays the man standing trial. Does the actors’ reunion live up to the hype, or does it fall flat? Read our Ikka movie review to know.

Ikka movie review: An ace lawyer forced into a tough spot

The film follows Arjun Mehra (Sunny Deol), a lawyer so good at winning cases that people call him “Ikka”, the ace. He’s known not just for winning but for being honest and fighting for the innocent, which is rare in his line of work. That reputation is tested when he’s forced to defend Shauryaman Gaur (Akshaye Khanna), a man whose career he ended by having him disbarred. Now Shauryaman is accused of the attempted murder of a young woman. He also happens to be the son of a rich and powerful man with big political plans. As the trial goes on, Arjun’s sense of right and wrong starts clashing with his personal life. What starts as a hard case slowly turns into a fight to protect everything he cares about. By the end, the film asks a simple but heavy question: how far would you go for the people you love?

Same story but more drama

Ikka deals with the same themes as Sunny Deol’s OG movie Damini. A woman is wronged by a powerful man, and justice, as we all know, will never be served. Even though the story seems decades old, it stays relevant because the conviction rate for crimes against women in India remains painfully low. 

What works well for the movie is the tension between Akshaye Khanna and Sunny Deol. But where the movie falters is how it handles the plot. The first half grabs your attention as you prepare yourself for a watertight courtroom drama, but the movie never delivers. Instead, the movie focuses on dramatising the subject. Some of the dialogues about respecting women seem shallow. 

The movie’s 2-hour-2-minute runtime makes the viewer feel like it’s not moving forward. Some scenes stretch too much to add dramatic tension where it doesn’t belong. Had the movie been trimmed to stay under 2 hours, it would have been much more gripping. 

Akshaye Khanna is a great bad guy

The movie wins with its casting. Every actor is a perfect match for the character they play. Akshaye Khanna, especially, seems to enjoy playing the antagonist. His character, Shauryaman, is smooth, spoiled, and easy to dislike in a good way. He gives us cold stares and sly looks that make us think that he’s stuck in Rahman Dakait mode. Even then, he nails his role, especially in scenes when he switches between innocence and evil. 

Sunny Deol, however, seems to underdeliver. He has all the elements of the classic Deol lawyer — his tough look, powerful presence, and yes, the odd table-thumping moment. But this time, he holds back and doesn’t seem as natural and convincing. 

Tillotama Shome, playing the public prosecutor going head-to-head with Arjun, is a real standout. She is convincing as a junior lawyer who has to fight a reputed and undefeatable lawyer. She is calm, sharp, and never overpowered by her veteran co-stars. 

Dia Mirza too holds her own in the movie; however, her character remains underexplored, so we never get to see things from her perspective. 

Should you watch Ikka?

Ikka doesn’t try to reinvent the courtroom drama genre or offer you any jaw-dropping twists that you cannot foresee. It’s a good one-time watch, but if you’re looking for goosebumps, Ikka will disappoint. However, if you want to experience once again the intensity Deol and Khanna bring to the screen when they are together, the movie can be a good watch. 

Ikka is now streaming on Netflix.

Can you watch Ikka with your family?: Yes, the movie has no explicit scenes or abusive language.

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