After more than 40 years of giving theatrical hits, Sunny Deol surprised one and all with his streaming debut in 2026. The actor starred in Netflix’s Ikka, directed by Siddharth P Malhotra. The legal drama, which also starred Akshaye Khanna, was a success on the platform, reaching the number one spot in its first few days.
Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh, Director, Original Films, Netflix India, takes Hindustan Times behind the scenes of how the streamer convinced the superstar to opt for a streaming film and how he let go of his action-hero image for the courtroom drama.
Sunny’s ‘no-action’ fear
Ruchikaa recalls that Sunny was initially apprehensive about the film because it had no action, which has been his USP for close to four decades. “We were working on Ikka with Sunny sir, and he was worried that there was no action. And I told him, ‘That’s the beauty of doing streaming. We’ll take a familiar genre like a courtroom drama, put you in the genre, and we’re going to see where it goes.’
Ruchikaa says the actor was still apprehensive when she assured him, saying, “Two months later, either I’ll tell you, we should have put one action scene, or you’ll call me and say this was not a bad idea. So, let’s see where it goes,” she says.
She adds that she felt the freshness and novelty of the idea was what appealed to the audience. “I’m not going to blow your mind after the hand pump (scene from Gadar). We have Border and Jaat on our service. People are watching that. But if I’m going to look at original films to be able to stand on their own two feet, it has to be a complementary offering: getting someone you love in a genre that you like to click and stay on.”
‘Debut’ at 68
Ikka happened to be Sunny’s streaming debut. Having been a theatrical star for four decades, it was a brave move for the actor. Ruchikaa recalls telling Sunny several times that it was time for him to ‘debut’ on Netflix. To which the star laughed and said, “I’m 60 years old. How can I debut?”
Ikka, Ruchikaa admits, was an unusual streaming debut for the actor who has seen a second wind to his career on the back of action extravaganzas like Gadar 2, Border 2, and Jaat. “He said, ‘Are you sure? Border abhi aayi hai (Border 2 has just released).’” But eventually he came around, Ruchikaa recalls. “I’m going with the conviction that you guys have, and I’m going to give you my all,” is what he told the team.
But Ruchikaa maintains that the film’s makers, including those at Netflix, were never unsure about it. “I don’t want to say we were nervous. It was him and his A game, him and his element,” she explains.
Ikka released on Netflix on July 10.