Veteran Bollywood actor Dharmendra, who passed away on November 24, completed shooting for his final film Ikkis despite a demanding schedule, according to director Sriram Raghavan. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Raghavan described Dharmendra’s commitment and professionalism during the shoot, noting that although the veteran actor occasionally appeared tired, he never complained and always delivered magical performances when the cameras rolled.
Raghavan asserted, “It's a very personal loss... I'm very happy he did the film and he's done a wonderful job. He had seen the film in the dub but I would have liked him to see the film with all the background music, effects and everything. I would have liked for him to be there longer. It's how it is. I'm just glad he didn't suffer.”
Ikkis, a period military drama highlighting the story of 1971 war hero Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, features Dharmendra as Brigadier ML Khetarpal, the father of the valiant soldier. The film reunites Raghavan and Dharmendra after 18 years, following their earlier collaboration on the crime thriller Johnny Gaddaar (2007).
The filmmaker said, “We had dubbed with Dharam ji in October, at that time he was ok. We had a chat during the dub, so he saw other portions of the film also, and he was talking about it. I didn't expect this to happen. We all prayed and hoped for the best, but..."
Raghavan reflected on their rapport, saying Dharmendra remained flamboyant and passionate about acting even after all these years. He said, “He loved the camera too much, and the camera loved him too. We shot in Chandigarh, Lucknow, Delhi, and Pune. There were a whole lot of locations, and it was not a studio-based kind of film, which would be easy.”
He concluded saying, “It was a little strenuous, so he used to get tired and sometimes our schedules are sort of killing. I would tell him, 'Sir, there's one more shot in the scene' and he would say, 'Haan batao'. I knew he was tired, but he would say, 'Ok, ok, let's do it'. And, when the cameras would roll, he would be magic. He was unbelievable.”
Speaking of the film, Ikkis will hit the screens on December 25, a month after Dharmendra's death.
Also Read: Nikitin Dheer remembers veteran actor Dharmendra: “There shall never be another Dharmendra”
More Pages: Ikkis Box Office Collection , Ikkis Movie Review
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