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Ikkis Premiere Doubles as Emotional Tribute to Dharmendra Ahead of Jan. 1 Release

Early reactions from filmmakers praise Sriram Raghavan’s war biopic, highlighting Dharmendra’s final performance.

Overview

  • An industry screening in Mumbai on December 29 drew Salman Khan, Rekha, the Deol family, Jaideep Ahlawat and other stars for Dharmendra’s posthumous film.
  • Viral moments from the event showed Salman pausing emotionally at Dharmendra’s poster, Rekha blowing a kiss to Agastya Nanda’s photo, and Bobby and Sunny Deol visibly moved.
  • Casting director Mukesh Chhabra called the film heartfelt and lauded Dharmendra’s ‘grace’ and ‘depth,’ while filmmaker Anil Sharma said he watched the veteran ‘with teary eyes.’
  • The Sriram Raghavan-directed biopic centers on 1971 war hero Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, starring Agastya Nanda, with Dharmendra as the soldier’s father and Jaideep Ahlawat in a key role.
  • The theatrical release is set for January 1, 2026 after a shift from December 25 that Amitabh Bachchan attributed to astrological reasons, following separate tributes at a New Delhi screening attended by defense leaders.