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Ikkis Choreographer Recalls Dharmendra Insisting on Dancing During Late-Night Shoot

The recollection accompanies the theatrical run of Ikkis, his final screen role.

Overview

  • Choreographer Vijay Ganguly says the moment occurred during a qawwali sequence set at a college reunion that was filmed around 2:30–3:00 a.m.
  • Despite difficulty standing, Dharmendra asked what younger artistes were doing and responded, "Why can I not do this?" before getting up to perform the steps.
  • The crew urged him to keep movements light and later asked him to stop to avoid physical strain from multiple retakes.
  • Ganguly adds that Dharmendra requested the song’s lyrics to memorise in case lip-syncing was needed, reflecting his commitment on set.
  • Ikkis opened in theatres on January 1 and is directed by Sriram Raghavan, with Agastya Nanda, Jaideep Ahlawat and Simar Bhatia starring in a biopic of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal.