'Ikkis' Director Recalls Issues Faced By Dharmendra During Dubbing, 'He Was Having Tough Time...'

Ikkis, the war epic directed by Shriram Raghavan, has created a lot of buzz. This project has been marked as the last film of legendary actor, Dharmendra. For the unversed, Bollywood’s beloved 'He-Man' had passed away on November 24, 2025. He is survived by his two wives, Prakash Kaur and Hema Malini and six children, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Vijayta, Ajeeta Deol, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol. In a recent interview, director, Shriram recalled issues faced by veteran actor, Dharmendra during dubbing.

Ikkis director, Shriram Raghavan, recalls Dharmendra's tough time during the dubbing

In a recent interview with Galatta Plus, the Ikkis director, Shriram, recalled issues faced by veteran actor, Dharmendra while their dubbing in October. He shared how the Sholay actor used to ask him about the film’s progress. The director revealed that Dharmendra watched 50 per cent to 70 per cent of Ikkis, and he kind of liked it. He mentioned that the veteran actor was going through a tough phase due to health issues at that time. Expressing regret as Dharmendra missed watching Ikkis completely, Shriram said:

"We had some dubbing with him in October. Before that, he also used to keep asking about how the movie was shaping up and when I would show it to him. He saw around 50-70% of the film, and he sort of liked it. 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, so 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."

Ikkis director, Shriram Raghavan, recalls Dharmendra's on-set chemistry with Jaideep Ahlawat

In the same interview, Shriram recalled the moments that happened on the sets. He shared that Jaideep Ahlawat had the maximum number of scenes with Dharmendra. Shriram then mentioned that, as individuals, the actors possessed remarkable acting skills, but he wanted their chemistry as a duo. The director revealed how Jaideep delivered his lines and how whose were not understandable by Dharmendra. Recalling those days, Shriram said:

"Jaideep has the maximum scenes with Dharam ji. They have to work together, not how they are good actors separately, (but I) wanted the chemistry. We all were in awe of Dharam ji, so when Jaideep came, the ice was instantly broken. Jaideep says the dialogues under his breath and Dharam ji probably found it a bit hard to understand. He would ask, 'What is he saying?' I would tell him not to worry, and ask Jaideep to speak a bit loudly. So, all that used to happen during their scenes."

Ikkis director opens up about Dharmendra's impressive quality to prepare for a role

Further in the interview, the Ikkis director shared that the most impressive quality of Dharmendra was his way of preparing for a role. He used to rewrite his own lines in Urdu to better understand them. He was also well aware of the other actor’s cues. In fact, when the director had given him the basic content and lines, he used to come up with multiple options. Sriram was quoted as saying:

"The good thing about Dharam ji was that he used to be prepared enough to know the other actor's lines. He used to rewrite his own lines in Urdu, and the other actor's cues as well. He used to do his own preparation. It was wonderful actually. He even used to try variations and write it down. So much of the film is the way he speaks also. I used to give him the basic content, lines, and then ask him how his character would say it. He used to give options to choose from".

What are your thoughts on Ikkis director, Shriram Raghavan's revelation? Let us know.

Also Read: Esha Deol Remembers Step-Mother, Prakash Kaur And Half-Siblings In Tribute Video For Dharmendra

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